A Tale of a Love
by rainkisser
Summary: Elora doesn't have a past,and her future seems no better,but with a cloaked prince,an odd friend,a tailor,a cook, and a lot of humor, can that change? A Cinderella story with a corny title,like we ain't got enough already.
1. Once Upon A Time

This story is dedicated to Zou Zou  
My advisor, editor, philosopher, knitter, astrologer, manager,crocheter, producer,pyromaniac...-er, sister and mostof all  
my friend...er.  
I love you, I hate you, I know you, but I'm not sure if I want to.

* * *

"Once upon a time, there was a bachelor who lived in this very house. He was all alone because he wasn't wanted. Oh, but he wanted something. The foolish man would spend many days and nights dreaming as he always did of someone to care for, someone to love and keep safe.

"One rainy night, this man found a baby crying on his door step and stupid as he was, he took the baby in. It was wrapped in a filthy cloth, obviously coming from a lowly servant who probably didn't have enough money or desire, probably the second, to keep her own child! The unloved baby found her home with the unloved man and he raised her like a daughter. But all knew that this was a joke as everyone knew the real story, that she was such a worthless child that even her own family wouldn't keep her and ended up giving her away to a complete stranger. Not only that but the man and the young girl looked nothing alike. The young girl grew up with hideous blonde hair and dreadful green eyes and was in general an ugly girl. The man was not so stunning himself, but did have fine brown hair with bright blue eyes.

"Though the man was not much for marriage, his wonderful estate and profound wealth won the heart of the most beautiful lady in the land, well, almost the most beautiful, for she had two lovely daughters who certainly earned that title. After the bachelor finally fell in love with her, the lady married the man and lived on his estate with her two daughters. Oh, there was no happily ever after though, for the man lost much of his wealth in a ship trade which was bound for disaster. Luckily, he died before he could make any more mistakes to cause a mess, and after that, to his wife's utmost relief, the trade became profitable enough that she was able to keep the estate and most of the wealth.

"But what of the young girl the man took care of? Well, seeing as she was not linked to the man through blood, she could not possibly inherit any of his belongings. The proper thing to do was send her out in the streets, but the man's wife took pity on the poor girl and let her stay on a single condition, that she would serve the family when asked for. That night, there was a new servant in the house, the young girl named Elora, self-claimed 'daughter' of the fool Baron Domidus Aimon ,"

I looked up at this, my hands fisted behind my back.

"Thank you for reminding me where my place is Malyda," I said, as I always had, "If you don't mind, I must be on my way, I have chores to attend to. Goodnight Klara. And too you Claira," I nodded to my step-sisters and then turned to my step-mother, "Goodnight Lady Malyda." I curtsied and then turned to leave, I wanted out of there fast.

"Sleep well, Elora," Malyda said, Klara and Claira laughed with Malyda, all of them knowing as well as I that I would _not_ "sleep well", and that I hadn't slept well for the past four years. I just kept walking, not wanting to stand in the same room, to breathe the same air as those three. I did not run, though I really, _really _wanted to, but I knew that running would just infuriate the 'ladies' who were watching me go, and though it would be entertaining, I didn't want a beating that night. The moment I was out of the dining hall and out of sight, I turned and ran across the hall and into the ball room where I had left my bucket and mop. I picked up the mop aggressively and started to clean the rest of the large room.

The story Malyda told still got to me even after hearing it every night since my father died. It hurt, but I had learned to cope with it the best I could and I no longer threw the fits I'd thrown the first couple times it was told to me. I still clenched my fists though. I wanted to ignore what she said, but I wasn't able to get rid of the words, wasn't able to ignore them. When I had tried, I found them in my mind. I had heard the story my step-mother told me so many times I not only had it memorized, but it would come to haunt me during the day. Things like "...just a worthless child so unloved that even her own family wouldn't keep her..." popping into my mind. I sighed and kept mopping. I picked up the bucket and splashed the water across the floor.

What Malyda said was true, Sir Domidus Aimon wasn't my real father, but he had raised me for the first thirteen years of my life and we loved each other like any father and daughter would, if not more. He _was_ my father, in every sense of the word, he helped me through the hard times and was there in all the best. We understood each other beyond anyone could imagine. We were both alone, both had no place, no family, no identity. Just as I had no parents, my father did not either. He had no family and he ended up working hard his whole life eventually gaining the title of Baron, a large estate, and much wealth. Not that it mattered that much to him. He was kind, I still have all sorts of memories from when I was young and he would show me so many things on the land of the estate. When I was six, he had been taking me on a long hike (well, at least for a six year old) to show me "something spectacular" as he put it. We were walking up a big hill when I got fed up and decided I had walked enough.

"Papa," I had whined, "Can you carry me please?" He had just laughed at this. And I in all my little-kid-glory just looked up at him expectantly, which just made him laugh more.

"You can walk by yourself, Elora. You have two feet, they can be of much use." At this I crossed my arms and scrunched my nose. I was stubborn, like my father. Two stubborn people is not always a good mix, especially when one is young and knows that little kids get special treatment, or at least thinks they _should_ get special treatment.

"But I'm tired," I whined. He just laughed again, his brown beard twitching with his smile. He came over to me and crouched down so we were eye to eye.

"Don't you want to see the surprise?"

"Yes,"

"Then you can walk!"

"Papa! It's too hard!" He just smiled and was silent for a moment.

"Just because something is hard doesn't mean that it isn't worthwhile," He had said. It was the first time I heard him say it, but not the last, as it became his saying, and a phrase that I try to use myself when I need motivation (which is a lot recently). I, being little, did not completely understand, but I did understand that it basically meant "Just keep walking." So I had smirked, my nose still crinkled, and stepped around my father to keep going.

"Okay," I said, "Now, show me the surprise!" He laughed some more, stood up, grabbed my hand, and started walking on. It wasn't long until we reached the top of the hill. When I looked around, I saw this beautiful tree. It had a large trunk, maybe a full seven to eight feet around, maybe more! Its' branches were barely visible through the lush green leaves that covered the tree, only the very bottoms of them that were attached to the trunk were noticeable. The leaves formed a weird, but lovely, long semi-dome above the tree, making it obvious that if you were tall enough (well, taller than a child) that you would be able to stick your head out to look around. _It's perfect to look for danger or maybe to spy on someone,_ I had thought. It was the most beautiful tree I had ever seen, and being the mad tree climber I had always been, I had seen a lot of trees.

I had very large feet and hands, still do actually, which were very useful in climbing, jumping, and any other strange acrobatic movement I might want to do. Not very useful when it came to delicate things like sewing, dancing like a lady, walking properly, oh, and not falling when I walk down the stairs. But then again, like my father always told me when I brought this up, why sew when you can duel someone for some clothes, why dance like a lady when you can skip as you sing, why walk 'properly' when you can leap from tree to tree, and why walk down the stairs when you can slide instead? He always knew how to cheer me up.

I laughed gleefully as I ran to the tree. Father walked slowly after me. I came right up to the trunk and then stopped, studying it. I was looking for a knot, a groove, anything that I could use to lift myself up into the branches of the majestic tree. I frowned then, finding nothing that I could use to climb on. I circled the tree for a fifth inspection when I finally gave up. I couldn't find anything that could help me.

"Papa!" I turned to him and he came sighing and stood in front of me.

"Having trouble finding a way up are we?" He asked in a half amused half all-knowing tone.

"Well, yes," I responded, ashamed.

"It's there, you just have to look,"

"I've been looking!" I moaned.

"Well, look closer," He offered, smirking. I turned to the tree and stood still staring at it. I wasn't expecting to find anything when I saw a bit of sunlight reflect of part of the bark. It was oddly shiny, not like the rest of the trunk. I focused in on it and realized that it was a groove though it didn't look like it even when you stared at it for a long time. Once I saw it though, I knew exactly where it was. I beamed and approached it when I started seeing more and more of them, all lined up in almost a perfect ladder. I was laughing as I put my hand on one and felt the stableness of the tree. I climbed up each one and I pulled myself up to the top of the tree and I sat on the flat center of it.

It was so peculiar, so fascinating! The trees base was large and flat. It was long enough that I could have spread out on my stomach with my arms and legs extended out all the way, and still have room to spare. The branches of the tree rimmed the edges of the flat top of the tree and then from there they curved upward making a dome maybe five feet above the flat tree top. It was like a tree house, only a literal_ tree_ house! I scooted into the center and my father followed. I was more focused on the tree though, it was fantastic!

"You like the tree?" Father asked, already knowing the answer.

"Thank you Papa!!!" I screamed, turning and leaping into his arms.

"Hey! The surprise isn't through! No thanking me yet!" He exclaimed, laughing at my tight grip. I let go, my eyebrow raised, biting the right side of my lip, what I always did when I was confused or curious. My father crinkled his nose at this, crawled over to the center of the tree top, and stood up, his head and shoulders rising above the leaves through a hole in the top of the tree. When he ducked down he smiled and looked at me.

"It's almost time," he said, "Come here," He ordered, he then grabbed my waist and lifted me. "Up you go," he said, placing me on his shoulders. I giggled as he stood up and I was looking out onto the plain. I had been expecting something magnificent, but I was disappointed when all I saw was the castle of all Evola, where little did I know, my father would meet the women who would ruin our lives in only another five years, and the capitol city, Foelata. My father must have realized my disappointment because he spoke then.

"It's almost ready, Elora. Look at the castle tower," He said, pointing his finger to it, "The tallest one with the stain glass." I did, but it was hard to see because the sun was coming down right on it. I closed my eyes for a moment, the light hurting my eyes.

"Look, Elora! Look at this!" my father cried out, excitedly. I opened my eyes and gasped.

The stain glass window, that had a sun and moon design on it, shined with glorious colors. The moon I had always seen on it before had disappeared, and the sun design glowed with yellows, oranges, and reds. It was magnificent! It stood out amazingly against the pale pink sky, and the colors in the stain glass shimmered and danced with the gradual setting of the sun. Me and my father stared in silence, staring at the beautiful sight. Ever so slowly, but too fast for me, the sun lowered and lowered until the moon of the stain glass began to appear again. I eventually had to shut my eyes again when the real sun slipped away from the tower enough to make it impossible to watch it without blinding yourself. As I closed my eyes I felt my father lower me down into the tree and when I opened my eyes I saw him slumped down next to me smiling. I beamed at him, I felt as bright as what I had just seen. I leapt into his arms, giggling.

"Thank you papa! Thank you thank you thank you!!!" He laughed a tremendous laugh, surprisingly it was the happiest laugh I had ever heard him make, the happiest laugh I had ever heard. He hugged me tight and I didn't even mind that it was very tight because I was hugging him with all my might.

"Now that I've shown you this place," He said, still hugging me, "Let this be our own little secret,"

"Yes! I won't let anyone else know about this ever! Never ever ever ever ever!" My father just laughed some more. It seemed like that day was a very happy, laughy day. My father released me a bit and looked right into me, still smiling like mad.

"You know," he said, "I have looked every where else and I could not find any other place that gave that view, not a single place! Even when you stand under the tree you can't see it! " I just looked at him in a "Wow! Really?" sort of face. "It's true! I used to come here long before I had you in my life," he said, "I even used to come here before I owned our home, you know. I never wanted to show it to anyone, no one in the whole world. It's your place too now, Elora. I don't want it for anyone else but my daughter." I had smiled so wide then, my face felt sore afterwards. I just hugged him tight. I loved it so much when he called me his daughter, it made me feel like I really belonged somewhere, like I wasn't alone. It was that moment that I felt that I belonged the most.

I sighed and continued mopping the floor. Things had changed so much since then. Father was gone now, and I was here doing every order I received from people who did not care for anything more than beauty and money. I remembered when I was twelve years old. My father had been married to Malyda for only two months or so when Klara and Claira scolded me for sliding down the stairs.

"What kind of twit slides down a stair rail?" Klara had mocked.

"I do believe that is the most despicable thing I have ever seen!" Claira snapped. I just remember thinking how even though they were my age they sounded like some of the snooty adults I had met during father's meetings. I just ignored them and walked on. I did not like to fight unless it was necessary or at least worth while. This, though incredibly annoying, was neither necessary nor worth while, it was just plain stupid. As I was walking away however I heard one of the twisted twins, as I called them, come up behind me, grab my dress and rip the skirt of it.

"Oh dear," Claira said, putting on an innocent face as I spun on her, "It seems that the stair rail must have torn your dress. Oh well, it wasn't a pretty thing any way. You should really get that fool father of yours to buy you some nicer clothing." She shook her head as her sister tried to hold a giggle. I know that I was so mad then that it felt like my eyes turned flaming red and I had smoke blowing out of my ears and my nostrils. Insulting my interesting way of going down the stairs was one thing, not like it will stop me from sliding. Insulting my dress, who cares, just a dress. Insulting my father...well, that's it! I flew at her and started pulling her hair like mad. Klara in the meanwhile was running off to grab her mother. I knew it would cost me, but I couldn't care less, as long as I got some of Claira's precious brown waves.

"AAAH! STOP IT! STOP IT! MY HAIR! OW! OH MY HAIR!!!" I got even more angry at this. I started smiling at recollecting this moment. I stopped mopping the floor and thought of how Claira was just screaming and holding her hair. But my smile faded as I remembered how Malyda stormed into the room and pulled me off of Claira. It was, I say proudly, a large struggle for her though since I had anchored myself to Claira's hair. When she did finally pull me away and after I stopped struggling, she swung me around. I recall how I thought she was going to slap me hard, but she surprised me by suppressing it and glaring at me coldly.

"What... happened?" Malyda said coldly, gripping my shoulders, her nails dug into my shoulders. I had looked down at the floor, becoming afraid of her gaze.

"I... I... she... well... she insulted father and... I just... well... she shouldn't say things like that and..."

"That's_ enough_," She demanded harshly, she kept her grip on my, but she turned to Claira and said softly and sweetly, "Claira, you should not insult your step-father," She turned to me and glared, "As for _you_!" Her grip tightened, "You are not getting supper. You will never, _EVER_ hurt my daughter again or I will see to it that you are punished severely!" I immediately thought _Oh my god, she's going to kill me!_ because she really did look like she would. Really!

She dug her nails deep into my shoulders, I knew there were going to be bruises, "Domidus will also be hear and I really do not think he will be pleased with what he hears. So I request you get out of my sight so as not to add more to the list of your misbehaviors."Malyda let go of my arms then, and after looking at all three of the glaring faces, I ran out of the house.

I had ran and ran until I had reached the tree. I climbed up it and sat down in the tree. I had grown a lot, even for a thirteen year old, though still a good foot shorter than my father. Then I was just tall enough to be able to see out of the top of the tree myself without standing on my tippy toes. Now I was able to look out with out having to strain my neck, I'm about five foot ten. Back then I was maybe five-five. I had to crouch in the tree. I just sat there looking around. I remember how the leaves had turned red and yellow with the fall, and while the other trees had lost all their leaves, this tree kept them. Even in the winter the tree somehow kept most of it's leaves and gathered enough snow to keep it's little home a secret. I sighed. I had wanted to see the stain glass shimmer and make me feel warm and happy instead of the lousiness I had felt at that moment. However, the sun was only in the right place over the summer, and even then it only was like that several times. Even though the stain glass would glow at random times during the summer, me and my father always seemed to know what day it would appear. I still can tell when it will come, and though I can't go sometimes due to the jobs I am ordered to do, I still go as often as I can. Me and father went all the time and as my memory of the whole hair pulling incident continued, I remembered how I was imagining the lights. My memory self smiled and I smiled with her, thinking of the warmness of the light spreading across me. For that moment in my memory, I was peaceful and happy like I was before I had gained a new step-family.

Oh, those Steps! They got on my nerves so much! Always picking on my clothes, my habits, the way I talked, laughed, anything! I was getting sick of it. I growled aloud and then went back to dreaming of the stain glass window as I continued mopping the floor. I didn't know what it could be, but I always felt funny about that sun emblem. Somehow I feet so attached to it. I know the sun and moon is the symbol of Evola, but I always was drawn to that sun. At this thought, I remembered how my father had climbed up the tree to meet me after the whole evil ladies encounter. I had looked over to him as he sat down.

"Malyda told me what happened," he had said to me, "You should not have done that to Claira, Elora,"

"She shouldn't say stuff like that about you!" I snapped. My father sighed.

"She didn't mean it, Elora. She was just being-"

"Foolish?" I offered.

"Elora," he dragged out in that don't-be-like-that way, "We need to treat them with respect. They are family now,"

"_We _are family," I said.

"Of course we are, and nobody will take that away, but now we have to help Claira, Klara, and Malyda get used to living here. It is rough on them too. They have new family members as well, you know." I just growled. I knew he was right, but I didn't want to admit it. My father held my chin lightly and turned it to face him.

"Hey now. Just because something is hard doesn't mean that it isn't worthwhile,"

"I know Papa. I know." He smiled at me. And then reached into his coat, pulled out a sandwich wrapped in a cloth and held it out to me.

"Here. Malyda may be my wife and your step-mother, but I don't think I'm ready for her to be telling you when you should and shouldn't eat dinner." He smirked and I laughed, taking the sandwich in my hand.

"Thanks papa," I bit into my sandwich and then a thought dawned on me. Once I swallowed what I had in my mouth, I hesitantly, not yet sure I wanted to know the answer, asked him, "Hey papa, now that your married, are you going to show this to Malyda and the twins?" My father looked at me seriously and then gave a soft smile.

"Of course not, Elora. This place is yours and mine, it is no others," I smiled at this, "Besides," He added, "I doubt Malyda or her daughters would even think of trying to climb a tree." I burst out laughing choking on a small bit of sandwich I had bit into. My father was laughing too, though less ecstatically. When I finally calmed down, I found father looking at me seriously.

"Really though, Elora, I would not wish to share this place with anyone else than my daughter,"

"Klara and Claira are your daughters now too. Maybe even more so than I," I answered glumly.

"No no no. I only have one true daughter and that is you Elora. No one can take your place, ever," he swore.

I had just sat there looking at him, I truly felt like his daughter, truly. I still remember those words today and replay them to myself when certain people (you know who they are) try to disprove it. I am his daughter, and he my father, even now when he is no longer living.

I started mopping the ball room floor again, released from my trance. The ballroom was not an original part of the house, Malyda had added it in after father died. There used to be a study here, but Malyda had knocked it out and built this gigantic ballroom instead for "special occasions". It turned out that the special occasions were not very special as she only held a party for her daughters birthday which where in the winter and not many people liked to show up through all the snow. Personally, I thought that it was tacky to have a room bigger than the actual house. I swore silently to myself that when they left, _if_ they left, I would knock it down immediately and bring the study back.

I looked around the enormous room as I continued to mop the floor. It was dark, but not too dark as I had a candle on the floor and the snow glimmered outside the windows and reflected into the ball room. It was actually kind of pretty, everything in the room glowed a bright whitish-blue. I danced my own little dance as I mopped, singing a little tune.

"I found a maiden

as the snow fell

She had a voice sweet

Like a silver bell

I heard her sing

As I listened carefully

'Where are the good times for me?

'Where is my joy

Where is my grace?

Where is the one

Who'll take me to my place?

Where is my love?

Where is my glory?

Where are the good times for me?'

Oh and the maiden

Fell to the snow

And her salt tears

How they did flow

I heard her singing

As I listened carefully

'Where are the good times for me?'"

I swayed about as I hummed the tune over again. It was one I learned shortly after my father died and I had been working for the Steps. I was not a grand singer, and obviously not a great dancer (again, big feet), but it always made me feel better.

"The only good dancers are the ones who enjoy it, Elora. It's the same for singing. It should never be just something to do, it should be something to love to do!" my father had told me one time after I had been made fun of for my skipping-swaying dance style when I was eight years old. I never let anyone anger me when they made fun of the way I danced ever again. Except for that one time when Klara said...but someone interrupted my thoughts before I could remember the torture I had put her through.

"Elora!!!" Malyda shouted, "Elora!!!" she yelled again. I stomp down the hall and over to the stairs of the house where Malyda stood at the bottom with her hand holding a lantern, making her features look wicked in a beautiful way. She tossed her brown locks over her shoulder and looked at me expectantly.

"Elora, what took you so long?" I was about to respond when she snapped, "Never mind that, answer the door." I felt weird, I didn't hear a knock, but then again I was in the ballroom where you can't hear much in the first place, _and_ I had been daydreaming. Someone could have knocked on my _head_ and I wouldn't of noticed. Still, it was weird. I stood there with two thoughts in my mind, _Why can't you get it yourself?_ being one and _Isn't it late for a visitor? _being the other. I bit the right side of my lip in confusion. And then I heard a knock on the door, this being very impatient. Malyda ran up the stairs obviously not wanting to be seen in her night clothes.

"For God's sake, Elora! Answer the door!" She hissed. I walked over to the two doors, they weren't huge, but were bigger than most doors. Malyda had them installed while my father was still alive, said that they were "Perfect for parties and balls, but practical enough for ordinary visits." I just thought they were odd, either you get big doors, or you get normal ones, these just looked awkward. I realized that I had not opened the doors yet when I heard a loud bang on them from the outside. I pulled one door open part way and ended up with a hand hitting my head.

The tall man before me did not apologize but instead said in a rough voice,"Is Lady Malyda present?" I turned back and was about to say yes and open the door when I saw Malyda with her daughters all huddled gracefully on the stairs shaking their heads and mouthing out "NO!" repeatedly (I don't know how, but they seem to make everything graceful, well, and evil). I turned back to the man, still chewing on my lip in confusion. They were up, weren't they?

"I am sorry, sir, but they are all off in bed. May I ask what it is that is so urgent you must come at such a late hour?" It _was_ late too, the clock read eleven thirty-three. The man held out a small envelope and I took it.

"A letter from the King. Do see that Lady Malyda receives this as soon as is convenient. Pardon me for arriving at such a late hour," he said, "Oh, and you may want to clear the snow off the path, it was a real hassle to come up here," he added. He then nodded his head and turned to leave. I yawned and closed the door.

I heard the sound of a carriage struggling to ride away as I turned to face a stampede of ladies ambush me gracefully (again, I do not know _how_ it is possible, but they still did it gracefully). I held the letter I held in my hand up in the air so that they wouldn't tackle me. Malyda came forth slowly, but I could see she was just as curious as the evil twins as to what was in the letter.

"Elly! Please give us the letter! We want the letter!" Klara and Claira cried in unison as they jumped for the letter. I hated the nick-names they gave me so I just stood on my toes with the letter in the air, watching them jump at it like dogs leaping for a ball (sorry if I've offended any dogs). They dwarfed me by many inches though, so it was a lost cause.

"Girls, girls!" Malyda said, "Ladies do not act in such a way, and we certainly do not beg something of a servant, we demand it of them in ladylike fashion." It sounds weird to "demand in a ladylike fashion" but they could do it. Claira and Klara stopped jumping and stepped back from me. They smoothed out their silk night gowns and tucked their beautiful brown curls behind their ears, and stared at me innocently with their dazzling baby blues. I remember when I first saw them with my father and they looked like a family, all having brown hair and blue eyes. I felt so awkward with my frizzy blonde hair and odd green eyes. Claira and Klara still made fun of my hair, though not so much of my eyes. They looked right into my eyes at this moment. Malyda stepped up to me and held out her hand.

"Give me the letter, Elora," Malyda demanded in her sweetly-evil way (it may not seem it, but it _was _sweet! I told you! They make _anything _look glamorous). I held the note out to her and she took it smoothly. She opened it up, read it herself, smiled and read it out aloud.

" 'Baroness Malyda Aimon,

Prince Jonaldo and I shall be attending the ball you are to be holding. I am looking forward to finally attending your much spoken of annual winter ball for your daughter's birthdays. I have heard much about it and am joyed to be able to come. I hope to see yourself, your daughters Klara and Claira, and your step-daughter Elora all well.

Until then,

King Regamort Solusend' "

Malyda looked up when she had finished reading. She looked like she was ready to burst, a large smile running across her face. I looked over at the twisted twins and their faces were so bright that I almost couldn't see their evilness. Claira's smile turned into a twisted cringe. Oh, there it was!

"Did I hear correctly mother? I thought it said 'I hope to see yourself, your daughters Klara and Claira, _and_ your step-daughter Elora'," she mentioned, obviously not wanting to believe it. I was about to laugh, she _must_ have heard wrong. That was absolutely absurd, absolutely preposterous, absolutely...

"Why," Malyda exclaimed, "So it does!"

Oh. Well, that just goes to show how carefully I was listening. What would the King want with me? More importantly, how did the king know I existed? It wasn't like I went to any of the balls, at the palace _or_ here (well, if you count being a servant, then I went to a few here). I thought on this for a moment as Klara stormed up to Malyda.

"What?!" she shouted, rather unladylike also. She snatched the paper out of her mothers hands and read over it. Her eyes grew wide, it was quite funny. I was laughing in my mind a bit while still thinking about the whole letter problem. Hmm...

"Maybe," Malyda offered, "Maybe the King just mentioned her because he knew of her from when we gave our reasons for her being absent from the balls! He probably remembered that and decided to put her in the letter as to be polite." That actually sounded reasonable. Quite reasonable in fact! The letter sounded forced, so the King was probably just trying to sound a little sincere. I bet that was it! Apparently the twisted twins agreed.

"Yes!" they announced in unison.

"He probably doesn't even care about her!" Klara said.

"He probably doesn't even know a thing about her!" Claira added. Well, he knew my name, that was something.

"But what are we to do about it mother? The King will be expecting her to be there!" Klara asked.

"Again, Klara, the King probably doesn't even care if she is there or not," Claira pointed out. What was up with no one caring about me? Sure, the King probably doesn't care, but why rub it in?

"No, Claira," Malyda contradicted, "It is more complicated than you think. Because the King and Prince are attending the ball, there will be more people attending. It is fine to say she is ill when she is at home and we are out, but when the ball is here, it is rude and suspicious for one not to at least make a small appearance,"

"But we have used this excuse at our other parties," Claira argued. This was true, they would say I was ill while I was in fact cooking for them in our own kitchen.

"Claira, as I said, we will be having many more guests now that the King and Prince are attending. In our other balls, only our friends came and a few strangers so when we used this excuse our friends knew what the truth was and excepted it immediately while the strangers just went along with the majority. This time though, my dear," She continued, "we will have many more important guests that we aren't familiar with, so if Elora does not to make an appearance eyes may wander and people may suspect us of keeping her away. Now, we do not want that do we?"

"No," Claira gave in. I was shocked at Malyda's speech. It sounded odd, but when you thought about it, she was right. Though people who were not from the city might not find it curious for me to be absent, considering they wouldn't know who I was, those who did know me would find it extremely suspicious. The majority of them already thought Malyda and the twins were slightly evil, with good reason, this would just make everything seem more suspicious.

"Now what to do about it," Malyda said turning to me, "You have any ideas, Elora?" I was about to say "How about being honest and saying I don't want to go?" I really didn't want to either, balls were not my thing, to much dancing like a lady and walking down ball room stairs. I caught myself before I said this though and was able to sputter something out.

"Why not just let me go for the first minute or so, and then just have me leave saying how I have been feeling terribly ill and just felt like a short appearance?"

"How surprising Elora!" Malyda said, "You seem to have let something decent come out of your mouth!" Klara and Claira giggled, "That is just what we'll do! Now that is solved, why don't you run along and finish mopping the ball room, make sure you mop it well, we do not want royal feet stepping on a dirty floor." I nodded and was about to walk away when a thought krept into my mind. I turned around.

"A gown," I said at my realization.

"What?" Malyda asked.

"A gown, don't I need a gown for the ball?" Malyda thought at this.

"Why so you do. We will go out tomorrow and find you something half-way decent along with finding splendid gowns for Klara and Claira, you are only appearing for several moments,"

"Of course," I answered, "Good night Lady Malyda. Claira. Klara," I added as I turned to walk down the dim hall to the ball room. I heard them walk up the stairs.

"Oh," Malyda exclaimed, "I will need you to clear the road to the estate tomorrow before we leave in the morning, I want to be able to have an easy travel for the ball guests, not to mention an easy ride for when we go to town. Make sure you get that done before, oh, eight a clock tommorow. Klara and Claira giggled again. I just walked away, growling in my mind. I growled aloud when I reached the ball room. I still had a whole other side of it to go and I also had to shovel the long road leading from the city to the estate. This was going to be a hard night.

* * *

Title explanation: (written by Zou Zou, from the point of view of Mia!)

One dayI was joyfully writing a retelling of Cinderella, but then got in a huge daisy (whatever that means) of what the names of my story's kingdom and capital city should be.I then came up with the indubiousely most spectacular names of Evola(Alike the letter-vole-uh) and Foelata (Foe-lah-tah).Isn'tthat great?No?WELL I THOUGHT SO!  
Anywho!I got bored after that.INNNcredibly bored. so i startedthinking_ way_too hard! and came up with the daisy re....-something that if you took Evola and Foelata and FLIPPED them AROUND... you WOULD see THAT they SPELL..........  
ATALEOFALOVE!  
ISN'T THAT MADDENING?!  
You don't get it!?  
Oh well. I tried.

toodleloos and DAISIES!  
-Mia (well, Zou Zou...from Mia's veiw point, so Mia... but not)


	2. The Mysterious Cloaked Figure

I stood at the bottom of a cleared road with a garden shovel in hand. I had made my own large shovel to make this job easier, but when I went to the shed to get it all I found was a dainty white glove. Hmm...wonder which annoying twins that want me to suffer it could be? Because of these thieves, I had to shovel the road with a garden shovel which took me three times the time it would have taken me with my missing shovel. Hopefully they got blisters, or scratched their delicate hands moving it in the process of forcing me into the snow longer.I was cold, but not terribly sosince I had my fathers long, thick, wool coat on and a pair of his pants and his boots, which were a tiny bit big, but fit pretty well. Most of all, I was sleep deprived, hungry and very _very _achy.

The sun wasn't visible yet, but its' light was, turning the sky into half dark half bright blue. It would probably be another two hours or so before the Steps would wake up. The other servants would be waking up soon but they wouldn't care if I didn't come for a while. See, though I did not know any of the servants personally, they all seemed to understand that I was getting the most...attention from the Steps and they were sympathetic.

I, having some time to pass, turned to my left and walked slightly sideways up the hill and towards my tree. It took me pretty long before I reached it, seeing as I was having to walk through deep snow. I climbed up it, not having to look for the grooves after climbing them so many times. When I was inside it's dome of snow and leaves I curled up into a ball in the center of the tree top and fell asleep.

Like I said before, I did not sleep well, but I did have places and times when I could sleep well enough to keep me dying doing my chores. The tree was the one place that I could actually sleep, I could nap in other places, but not sleep. According to times when I could sleep, it was simple, anytime before Malyda told me my life's story. Even though the time and the place was right now, however, I still didn't have the best of dreams.

I dreamt of the last day I saw my father. I was twelve then and I remember him standing in front of me, Malyda and the twisted twins lined up in a row next to us. He gave me the last hug out of the family the last hug I would ever get from him.

Then he whispered quietly in my ear so no other could hear, "Elora, I want you take care of this place for me. Malyda may claim to be lady of the house, but know that this house is yours. Do you promise to take care of it?"

"I promise," I whispered back, meaning it with all my heart. I didn't want those three taking this house over, step-family or no. This was my father's home, his and mine.

"Good," my father said. He then released from the hug and walked out into the night. When he was in his carriage, I remember how I had chased after him, crying. I just ran after him, not wanting him to leave. I tripped on a stone and landed right on my hands and knees still watching his carriage disappear down the road, tears flowing down my face as the hooves of the horses got quieter and quieter.

I don't want to remember this, I don't. I tried to wake up, but I remembered the hooves, they wouldn't leave. Then, something surprising happened, the hooves of the horses grew louder and closer, but they seemed to be crunching through something. It sounded like one horse too. Maybe he's coming back! Maybe he's here!

I opened my eyes, which were damp from crying in my sleep, and sat up in the tree. I heard a horse stopping by the tree. I immediately turned onto my hands and knees and crawled over to the edge of the tree top to see if it was really my father. Please let it be him. Please let it be real.

When I peeked over the edge and was disappointed to not see my father's smiling face. Instead I saw a black cloaked figure on a white stallion. I was still disappointed, but that was fading with my curiosity. I bit the side of my lip again and it started bleeding after the chapped skin broke and I had to wipe it away with my hand to make it stop.

The man in the cloak, though it could have been a woman, I couldn't tell through the cloak, dismounted and sat under the tree, he just sat. He didn't even do anything like eat an apple or play with the snow, he just sat...and sat...and sat. For a mysterious cloaked figure he did not do anything mysterious or at least half way interesting. This was getting very boring, and I was starting to get sick of it. I then got a brilliant plan. I mean really brilliant! Well, maybe not_ that_ brilliant, you probably have already guessed what it is, but at least it's fun! Okay, so here goes my plan. Ready? One...two...three...

"Boo!"

"AH!"

I laughed and laughed and laughed. The cloaked man had jumped! He actually jumped from the ground and was now standing up, looking at me oddly through the gap I was spying through. I couldn't see his face, but I knew it was probably frightened and angry.For a mysterious cloaked figure, he was easily scared, then again, I've never actually met a mysterious cloaked figure. Still, it was very funny! I was still laughing when the cloaked figure, who still had his black hood over his head decided to yell atmehaving fun.

"Stop laughing!" I didn't.

"Stop it!!!" No thank you.

"STOP!!!" I did for a moment, and then just started up again. I had come back from my branch and was rolling around on my tree top, probably not the safest thing, but I couldn't help it. When I finally calmed down I came to the branch and saw the cloaked manmounting his horse. How could he? I wasn't done with my fun yet!

"Hey!" I shouted down to him, "Don't leave! I'm sorry! You were just sitting there and I was getting bored so I thought I might have some fun!"

"It wasn't fun to me!" Cloakman snapped.

"Oh, come on! Haven't you ever had fun before?"

"Not really, no,"

"Well then you should really be taught. I may not be the best teacher seeing as-"

"You have fun by torturing poor, unknowing civilians?" He had dismounted the horse at this, holding on to his hood so that it wouldn't fly off. Curious...

"Well, that too," I answered, ignoring my previous thought, "Though I was about to say that I hadn't had fun like this in a long time,"

"Why not?"

"It's... complicated,"

"I bet that I haven't had fun longer than you haven't!"

"Well, I just had fun right now, so your probably right!"

"I was trying to have fun you dolt! Trying to challenge you!" He snapped, he really liked to snap at people.

"How can challenging someone be fun?" I asked.

"How can torturing someone be fun?"He questioned.

"More fun than you think,"I said.

"Again, I haven't had fun in a long time," He sounded serious.

"Are you trying to have a 'my no fun is bigger than your no fun'?"

"Maybe,"

"Then prepare to be defeated! No fun in four years!"

"My whole life!" He said, partly proud that he won, partly sad that he won.

Okay, I exaggerated, but not as much as him. I did have some fun torturing the Steps a couple years ago, but I put in the basic idea. Cloakman on the other hand _had_ to be exaggerating! No one doesn't have fun their whole lives!

"Liar! There is no chance that you have never had fun in your life!"

"Well, I wasn't getting very technical. Besides, I bet you have had fun in the last four years,"

"Well yeah. Seriously though, who never has fun?"

"Well, I guess I don't," He said this in a matter-of-fact, " It's shocking what a name can do for you," I didn't know what he meant, but I didn't press, "Speaking of, I haven't gotten your name,"

"I do not give my name to mysterious cloaked figures," I said. Would you? I don't think so. "Besides," I added, "You haven't given me yours,"

"I do not give my name to torturous tree-sitting ladies," he put in smiling, I laughed.

"Well, I will call you Cloakman then," I decided.

"Cloakman? Why don't I just call you Treegirl?"

"Why not?" He laughed at this. What? I was serious. When he looked up, though I could not see his, he saw my expression and this just made him laugh a little more, I wish I could have seen his face through the cloak, but all I caught were some brown eyes, a bit of nose, and some smiling lips.

"Fine, Treegirl it is. I'll call you Tree for short,"

"Then you'll be Cloak for short,"

"Okay, Tree,"

"Okay, Cloak," We laughed at the names and then he sat down under the tree again. Oh no! The sitting!

"Not the sitting again! All you do is sit and sit and sit some more!"

"Well, I like sitting here!"

"You could at least be doing something interesting!"

"Well, why don't you let me up in the tree?"

"No," I said plainly.

"Why not?" Cloak asked, sounding kind of shocked and a teensy bit hurt at my plain response.

"Because I don't want you to," I answered, "Besides, you won't be able to find your way up here anyway, no one can,"

"You obviously did,"

"Well, I'm special," Cloak stood up at this and began circling the tree, "What are you doing?" I asked, amused.

"Trying to find a way up," He said after his third round about the tree.

"Well, you won't find one," I told him, "But do keep trying, this is very entertaining,"

"You are not very nice, Tree," He admitted, I snickered at the name.

"I am just being honest,"

"I am not sure I like your honesty," Cloak said. He circled the tree one more time and then gave up and slumped down under me.

"I give up," he sighed, "How did you even get up there?"

"It's a secret," I said slyly.

"Will you tell me one day?" He asked, hopefully.

"Maybe," I answered, knowing that his hope was rising, then added, laughing, "Probably not." Cloak sighed deeper and then laughed slightly.

"I think I'm actually having fun with you. It's painful fun, but it's fun all the same." This was an extreme confession for a Cloakman who had said he never had fun in his whole life.

"See!" I exclaimed proudly, "Everyone can have fun! Even mysterious cloaked figures!" Cloak laughed, but his laugh was interrupted by horses galloping up the hill from the castle. Cloak stood up swiftly, his hood almost falling off, giving me a short glance of dark brown hair, but he pulled it back on before I could get a good of a look. He mounted his horse and before he galloped away, he turned back to me.

"It was lovely to meet you, Tree." And Cloak rode off. I watched him speed away and ten seconds later watched a dozen of the King's soldiers speed past the tree after him. After a few silent moments with myself I stood up, looking out of the hole on the top of the tree, saw that the sun had risen quite a bit, and decided that it was time to head home.

I thought of the whole encounter with Cloak on my way back. Why were the soldiers chasing after him? It was very strange, but then again, what do you expect from a mysterious cloaked figure?

* * *

A/N: I got a chapter up so much faster than I expected! Wow! Anyway thanks to all the reviewers! I didn't expect so many for the first time. Actually, I didn't expect any! So thank you guys A LOT! You make me feel loved! Hope you liked the chapter.

**Tanin (Taniis...whatever works):** I am so honored that you compared this to those two FANTASTIC Cinderella masterpieces! Thank you so much. I have no idea who _you_ are, but if I did I would hug you so tight that I'd end up killing myself before suffocating you from all the effort I put into the hug. I guess it's a good thing that I don't know you then, because this way you and I won't die!!! YEY FOR NOT DYING!!! anywho! Thank you for deciding to actually read something and then reading this! It makes me oh so happy and warm! Like a really big teddy bear with hot soup all over it! About the chainsaw...I prefer axes... hope that I updated soon enough for you! Cheers for thou! Hip Hip Hurrah! Hip Hip Hurrah! Hip Hip Hurrah!

**Sirenic Griffin**: Thank you soooooo much for reading BOTH my stories. I think I explained in my last review response in Anthea story that Zou Zou is my little sister who will be appearing in this story because I am a bad sister who didn't get her a Christmas present (ain't I horrible?)! So GET READY FOR ZOU ZOU! And I _really _mean **GET READY!!!** Glad that you liked this story too! Cheers for thou! Hip Hip Hurrah! Hip Hip Hurrah! Hip Hip Hurrah!

**Mellem**: Thank you for reading, is "Mellem" your actual fanfic name? Or is it just for now? Well, I hope you come back and read this and tell me! Thanks for reading! Cheers for thou! Hip Hip Hurrah! Hip Hip Hurrah! Hip Hip Hurrah!

**Galasinriel:** Yey! It's Galasinriel! Creator of the funny funny funny funny My Adventures in Middle Earth with a Crazed Elf ! Llama Llama Duck! I love that song! It so funny! I love for all it's crazy stuff! Thank you so much for reviewing!!! Cheers for thou! Hip Hip Hurrah! Hip Hip Hurrah! Hip Hip Hurrah!

**Arwen Veancawen**: Thankyou for reviewing!!! Again, each review makes me feel so loved. Glad you liked my plot! It will get freakier and more twisted soon! It will be lots of fun! All the characters having a lousy ol' time, AND IT"S ALL BECAUSE I HAVE THE POWER TO WRITE IT LIKE THAT!!! MUAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Cheers for thou! Hip Hip Hurrah! Hip Hip Hurrah! Hip Hip Hurrah!

**FOR EVERYONE!:** Um...you know the song from last chapter? You know, the "Where are the good times for me?" one? Well, I was just wondering if that song just seemed incredibly awkward and if I should take it out? BE HONEST!!! I CAN SENSE YOUR LIES!!! any who! Cheers for you all! Hip Hip Hurrah! Hip Hip Hurrah! Hip Hip Hurrah! Hope you liked it!

Your all powerful lie-sensing...senser,

Mia


	3. Zou Zou

I saw two horses and a carriage pulled up by the estate as I made my way down the hill. It looked like one of the Steps carriages, but I couldn't tell since I couldn't make out the shape of the gold and silver filigree on the door well enough. I picked up the shovel I had left at the bottom of the road and walked towards the house.

I smiled, thinking of Cloak. I normally am a pretty somber girl, well, at least in the recent years. I have my moments of laughter at the Steps, but not many as it could mean a beating or me being sent away from the house. Though I used to be quite crazy and wild when I was a child, it was rare for me to be like that now. I don't know what it was, but there was something about Cloak that made me feel that I could have fun again, that I could be a little crazy. I really needed that, to let a little madness out. It really cheered me up. I wonder if I'll see him again.

"Where is that Elora?" I heard Malyda shout as I came closer to the house, "She should be ready by now!" Ready for what? Why was she even outside now? She wasn't the type to be up and ready by now. I couldn't see her, as she was hidden behind the carriage, but I could tell by her voice that she probably had her eyebrow lifted in a delicate way that said, "I am a lady, but there is nothing stopping me from bringing a rock down on the whole world."

"Claire!" Malyda called.

"What is it?" Claira answered.

"Not you, dear. The maid."

"What is it ma'am?" a girl standing by the carriage asked. She looked maybe a year or two younger than me. I was coming closer and was able to make her out pretty well. Her hair came in front of her face in beautiful golden tendrils that almost matched the grace of the Steps lovely brown locks. Her hair was pretty frizzy, almost as frizzy as my hair, but despite that it was still amazingly beautiful. It came down at least five inches from her shoulders, and it sat there wonderfully. She was a bit chubby, but in a way that just made her seem more loveable, almost like a teddy bear. She wore a servants dress, made of brown wool and then an apron, but that did not suffocate her elegance.

"Go find Elora for me and make sure she is properly prepared," Malyda ordered. Ready for what? I began coming forward faster, wondering what they wanted now. I was but fifteen feet of the carriage and I noticed that the carriage was in fact the Steps as it had the silver insignia of the new moon with many gold designs surrounding it.

"Um..." the maid started, "I'm new here. I don't know what she looks like." She had a boldness in her voice that she was obviously trying to suppress.

"Well, I guess we will just leave with out her," Malyda said, obviously happy that this was the result, "Tell her that she can walk to the city and get her own gown!" Oh! The gown! I completely forgot! I ran forward and around the carriage to face Malyda.

"I'm here!" I shouted, "I'm ready!" I really wanted to go to the city. I had not been there in such a long time. The Steps didn't want me going there to meet friends, though I didn't have many in the first place since I was forced to stay distant from them or I would be sent out on the streets, leaving the house to them, unsupervised.

"You are not ready!" Malyda said, looking over my clothes, "You can not go to the city with us to by a ladies gown dressed in _that_!" I looked back down at my father's coat and pants. I had a blouse on too. It's not like I have much else to wear though.

"Claire!" Malyda called.

"What!?" Claira answered from the carriage window, frustrated.

"Not you darling! The maid Claira! You have an 'uh' sound at the end and she does not. Do learn to differentiate the two, Claira! Your name is Claira and hers is Claire! Claira! Claire!" Malyda was losing a bit of her delicacy, just a bit though.

"Well, it's hard to tell," Claira responded. The maid, Claire, stepped forward. I looked at her face now, her hair being out of the way. She had a round face with lovely, red lips, a wide nose that was still fair, and crystal blue eyes. Those eyes seemed to say something about her, but I couldn't hear it.

"Um...ma'am?" She said, not shyly, just in a confused way. She was smiling a bit, finding this a little funny. I smiled at her smile. It was kind, but mischievous.

"Oh, yes. Claire," Claire shuddered at the name, "Do see that Elora gets into a dress and comes out looking half way decent," Malyda ordered. Claire nodded and started up the stairs of the house.

"Um... Malyda," I started, "I don't have a dress." Malyda looked at me in shock.

"No dress at all? I thought I had left you with _something_!"

"No," I answered, "You sold all the dresses I had after father died," I hadn't cared a lot, I hadn't cared at all actually.

"Oh, well you would have grown out of them anyway," She was right, "Now, what to do about it. Claire, give her one of my violet ones, I was going to throw it out anyway. Violet is out of style," A thought dawned on me. I didn't ask it though, as I wanted to go the city. I didn't need to though, as Klara asked it for me.

"Mother," Klara said, obviously having bent over Claira to reach the window of the carriage, "Why doesn't Elora just take one of your gowns for the ball?"

"Because she is too tall for any of my gowns, or yours in that matter, and it would look like we don't treat her well." I sighed a bit at this. Malyda looked at me, having heard it, and glared at me as if to warn "these pins in my hair are very sharp".

"Then why are you giving her one of your gowns now?" Claira asked, looking out the window with Klara. The confused twins looked expectantly at their mother.

"Because it is better than nothing darlings. Do not mistake that I am actual caring about Elora, I am just making sure that she does not get in the way of our lives just because she doesn't have a proper gown." Gee, thanks. I feel so loved around you guys.

"Now," Malyda continued, "Get along, or I will leave with out you." The maid Claire continued into the house as I followed behind. I then followed her up the stairs and down the hall to Malyda's exquisite room which I knew very well. Most of the stuff had a silver or gold color to it. Malyda's bed had silver blankets with a gold canopy and her gold fainting couch sat to the side, standing out against the red carpet. I looked into Malyda's gold lined mirror as Claire searched the closet and gathered stuff from the drawers.

I was not "hideous" as Malyda liked to put it, but I was no goddess either. I had dark circles under my eyes from the lack of sleep and I had light brown freckles across my face, but mainly on my cheeks and nose, from having to be out in the sun all day. I had my hair in a french braid that was put in a bun in the back and when I took it out I saw my hair come down in awkward, frizzy waves that came down right below my shoulder blades, like Claire's. I just didn't have tendrils like Claire, nor curls like the Steps, but the weird patterned waves you get after having braids up for a long time. I always put them in braids, it was a lot easier to deal with than any other hair do I had tried. I didn't remember the last time I brushed my hair, but it looked like I hadn't brushed it my whole life.

I took my father's coat of and looked at my figure. I was pretty thin, maybe a little too thin, and had a pretty good amount of muscle, having worked hard for the Steps with out getting my meals all the time. I didn't have a lot of curve to me, but I was not just a stick. My bust was there, but was more like a thirteen year old girls than a seventeen year old one. I sighed at the person in the mirror.

The only striking thing about me was my eyes, well, maybe not striking, probably... odd to the extent of being noticed, that sounds right. They were almond shape and slanted upward at the sides. They were almost witchy, almost frightening. They were a dark forest green and had streaks of brown so that it almost looked like I actually had a forest in them. Other than that, though, I was pretty plain, and at the moment I was slightly ugly because of the dark circles under my eyes and the redness of my nose from the cold.

"Yeah yeah yeah, your beautiful," Claire the maid put in, obviously just playing at the fact that I had been looking at my image for so long, "Now let's make this quick," she said bringing a pile of underclothes with a lovely violet gown over her shoulder. I blushed a bit as I stepped away from the mirror, embarrassed of appearing so vain.

I looked at her lay all the clothes on the bed to see what I would be dealing with. I saw some stockings, okay, a chemise, fine, a petticoat, good, and... a corset! I've had to put those onto the Steps repeatedly. It's always fun to watch them gasp in pain as I tighten the strings, but not so fun when they're happy that I have just made their waist look like the size of the strings I pulled and their bust looks like it's quadrupled in size (so I'm exaggerating, but you all know what I mean). I have never had to experience the feel of one, but I never wanted to know. I looked over the garments again and looked about the room to make sure there wasn't any hidden items I'd have to put on too. At least there wasn't a crinoline, I had to wear one several times when the Steps had just moved in and I had many bad experiences trying to operate the hooped skirt. Still, a corset was a tragedy of it's own.

Claire came over and began undressing and dressing me. It was weird to have someone dress me for a change, I'm not sure I liked it either. When she went to get the corset, I saw her smile mischievously. My eyes widened at this. Did she think it was fun to cause someone pain? I looked into her eyes, and despite the evil I had detected, I also found a bit of a joke playing in her head. Those eyes of hers, what did they show? She came at me, holding the object out in front of her.

"Um, Claire was it?" I asked, wanting to ask her not to do this to me. I saw her shudder a bit. Then she looked at me with those eyes.

"Um no, it's Zou Zou." I looked at her funny. Where did Zou Zou come from? First she's Claire, a practical name, and now she's Zou Zou? How do you even get one from the other? She sighed, like this was a regular speech she had to make.

"My real name is Claire Suzanne , but I hate that name, so now I'm Zou Zou,"

"Where'd you get Zou Zou from?" She sighed again.

"My older sister was a little crazy and when we were very little she went a little crazier and somehow got Zou Zou from 'Suzanne'. I've been Zou Zou ever since,"

"I...kind of see that," I answered. I really did, in a way. "Suzanne" to "Suzu" to "Zuzu", her sister must have been really bored though.

"Anyway," Claire- I mean Zou Zou said, "Miss Malady down there-"

"Malyda," I corrected as I laughed at the name she had used. My step-mother _was_ like a sickness.

"Whatever. Well, the Virus refuses to call me anything but 'Claire'. Anyway," Zou Zou said, stepping towards me as I laughed at the name, I had to use that now, "She can call me what she wants, I need the job. As for you, if you dare call me anything but 'Zou Zou' I swear I with suffocate you with this." She held the corset out threateningly.

"About that," I started, "Can you _not _have me wear it?" Zou Zou shook her head and came toward me.

"I have a job to keep, and if you don't wear it, I'm back on the streets," she saw my look of disappointment, "Don't worry, I won't tighten it too much. Just enough to pass you off as decent and pass me off as a good maid. I don't think I want to kill you," she smiled. I looked in her eyes as I smiled back and saw what I had been looking for.

"How old are you?" I asked as she put the corset around me.

"Thirteen next week." She answered. It was surprising, but I wasn't shocked.

"When I first saw you, I thought you were my age, but your eyes gave you away," She laughed.

"Yeah, that's what my sister says. Most people ignore my eyes though and continue thinking I'm sixteen,"

"Where is your family?" I questioned, gasping a bit as she tightened the strings.

"Here and there," She answered.

"What does that mean?"

"It means it's not important," What does _that_ mean then? Oh, well. I let it slide from my mind and I didn't pressure her about it.

Zou Zou tightened the last string as I shrieked slightly, "Well, there we go. See? It's not that bad," I moved around a bit, panting lightly, but it wasn't as bad as I expected. I could breath relatively well and I was even able to bend into a ninety-degree angle.

Zou Zou quickly slipped the dress over my head, brushed my hair, and washed my face with a cold cloth she had taken from the basin Malyda normally used. I looked in the mirror and felt a little better at what I saw. My hair was less frizzy and the waves were less awkward, I didn't have bags under my eyes anymore, and my figure, though it was annoying to admit, did in fact look more curved along with my bust more prominent. I was actually a little pretty, though I wouldn't think that there would be many who weren't after going through all that. I looked over the dress. It contrasted with my eyes, making me look a little weird, but it was a nice dress. Zou Zou had chosen a simple, violet dress with puffy sleeves that hung from my shoulders to my elbows and a slightly low V-neck. The skirt was a slightly darker violet than the light purple top, starting right at my hips and puffing out slightly. The bow in the back helped to make me appear more curvy. I was not drop dead gorgeous. I was pretty though, I'm giving myself that. Zou Zou then pulled out a matching violet shawl and swung it over my shoulders. I then went over and grabbed my father's boots out of the pile of clothes I had been wearing and put them on, sitting down on the bed.

"Wait," Zou Zou stopped me, "Let me find you some shoes. Miss Malady may not be happy with you wearing her jewelry," I laughed at the name but didn't correct her this time, "but she will have to understand you wearing her shoes,"

"Her shoes won't fit me," I told her, embarrassed, "My feet are too big." Zou Zou came over and looked at my feet. She then smiled and sat down, holding her foot out against mine. I gasped as she laughed. Her foot was shorter than mine, but only by a matter of half an inch which was the closest any girl had gotten.

"I completely understand," she told me. And we laughed together. Me and her were becoming good friends fast. Oh no. That wasn't good. Every friend I had ever made here was sent away from me by Malyda. Even my cat was tossed out of the house. One time, Malyda bought me another cat and the moment I really liked it, she sent it away again. She just won't let me have friends.

I must have had it written out on my face, though that would be a lot of words to have on ones face, because Zou Zou said, "Hey, don't worry about the Virus. She can't do anything to me... as long she doesn't know that we're friends," I laughed. I then heard the clatter of horses trotting down the road. I jumped up and so did Zou Zou. I ran down the stairs and out the door, Zou Zou following a little slower. I ran down the cold road after the carriage, a shoe still in my hand.

"Hey! Wait up! I'm ready!!!" I shouted as I was hopping/putting on my shoe.

"Have fun in the city ma'am!" Zou Zou shouted to Malyda. I knew it was for me though, and I felt a little better running after the carriage, though I would have liked it a lot better if I didn't have to run in these clothes, or at all in that case.

* * *

A/N: 10 reviews! I got 10 REVIEWS!!! I'm sorry, I did a ten review dance with my last story which got ten reviews this week too!!! YEY! TEN REVIEWS!!! YEYEYEYYEYEYYEYEYEY!

**Galasriniel**: I'm glad you liked the chapter!!! Glad you liked the whole Cloakman and Treegirl jazz! I had fun writing it, I was all confused on how not to reveal the name of the...(AH YOU ALMOST GOT ME!!! Even though you probably know what I was going to say) mysterious cloaked figure and how not to reveal Elora's name to him! AND THEN I WAS LIKE WOAH! HE'S WEARING A CLOAK! And then I was like woooooooooooaaaaaah. And then I zoned out and thought about candy and when I zoned back in I realized I had written something and I was like woooooah! And zoned out again. And that's how I wrote my story! I am so honored that you actually read the next chapter, I have a tendency to write stuff that people don't like to read ever again. Anywho, I shall not tell you whether or not Cloakman was the Prince because then that will ruin my ever so predictable...I mean non-predictable (hehe)...story!!! that's it. OH! And please don't be skinned alive!!! I wouldn't like that at all.

**Laurashrub:** Thank you for reading! I'm glad you liked it! I agree, I don't like the whole Cinderella being a goddess thing, not realistic, but I wanted her to be kind of pretty because people are pretty! AND NO ONE CONTRADICT ME ON THIS!! YOU ARE ALL BEAUTIFUL, SO EMBRACE IT AND STOP BEING ALL "My butt is so big" or "I'm too fat" or "Look at my zits"!!! That rant done I'm glad you liked the humor. I wanted Elora to have a humorous side that she has had to suppress but is still there. I didn't want a super dee-duper "I'M ALWAYS HAPPY!" girl but I didn't want some chic who doesn't know how to live. Glad you liked the song, I still feel weird about it but, thank you. YEYEYYEYEYEYYEYEYEYEYS FOR THOU!!!

_**clairesuzouzou**:_ um...weird to be talking to you, you have actually alreadyknow this story with out the A/N so I am not sure you will read this. OH! I'LL TELL YOU TO READ IT WHEN YOU GET BACK!!! um...your in this chapter and NO! I will not make you older than you are! DEAL WITH IT!!! and enough with the Cymbeline! We both know that the play sucks! So no more quoting it! Thank you for the oral and ...written..al (?) support. POINTER FINGERS! YEY! Thank you Zou Zou!  
i love you too,  
i love you too,  
good bye!

**and to all those that are confused (probably everyone)**: ZOU ZOU IS A REAL PERSON! SHE'S MY LITTLE SISTER! AND HER BIRTHDAY_ IS_ IN A WEEK (so wish her a happy birthday and freak her out adn cheer her up!I have a feeling her birthday might not go so well)! Isn't that freaky? Knowing that there is a real person in the story? Doesn't it make youwonder how much of it is real??? you may think that she is the only real thing of the story, but can you be sure? Can you!? I thought so.

**Tanin (Taniis): **FINE! FINE! FINE! I WON'T GET RID OF THE BLOODY SONG!!! you are not being dumb, you are being grand! Thank you for reviewing! Your reviews make me laugh and smile so much!!! hehehehe! I am making another fast update because I was on a long bus trip to Chicago so I wrote more on the way! CHEERS TO NOT DYING!!! AXES ALL THE WAY!!! muahahahahahhaha!

**Panemonium1551:** Thank you for having the honorary place of TENTH REVIEWER!!! horns sound CHEERS FOR THOU!!! glad you liked it! The meetings will probably... well, you'll find out. :) hope you keep reviewing! Maybe you'll become the honorary twentieth reviewer? Or the thirtieth? I can't even imagine thirty reviews right now! It all just seems like a distant dream (sorry, I don't normally get this much of a response for my writings)! HONORARY TENTH REVIEWER!!! CHEERS FOR THOU AGAIN!!! YEYEYEYEYEYYEYEYEYYEYEY!

Thank you all so VERY much for reading and reviewing this story! I really feel loved, though, as I have probably mentioned before (though I can't remember, so I'll repeat it), I write because it's fun and I write faster because I know there are people reading it!!! SO THANKS TO YOU ALL! WITH OUT YOU I COULDN'T HAVE DONE MY TEN REVIEW HAPPY DANCE!!! dances away OH! I almost forgot. dances back I haven't done this yetm but it applies to the _whole _story not just this chapter!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Cinderella, so any Cinderella owner (if there are any, yeah right) DON'T SUE! I ONLY GOT LIKE...eleven...twelve...twenty...twenty...four... Twelve dollars and twenty-four cents! However! If I find a book, a movie, or ANYTHING with my characters, dialogue, ideas or general plot (not including the whole original Cinderella plot) from my story A Tale of a Love I swear I will not only get a lawyer (if I can afford one) and sue you, but I will call you a big, fat meany!**


	4. Frustration with gowns

"Are you sure you want a rose gown, Klara? I think that a pale blue would suit your eyes much better," Miss Malady commented.

"I know, but we have already decided to have Claira's gown be a pale blue and it would clash to much. Besides, rose will compliment my fair skin,"

"Very true," Malyda answered, "Now, Klara, about your choice of lace..." The Steps then droned on about ribbons and necklaces and all sorts of things that only partway interested me since I could strangle myself with most of them, something I really wanted to do at the moment. I turned to look out the window and let my thoughts carry me away.

We had been at the tailor shop for hours. It was a little after one o' clock and we had just left the store. Klara and Claira were to return tomorrow to get some final measurements and pick out all the fabrics and such that they wanted for their gowns before the ball this week. I on the other hand, already had a gown as it is much cheaper to buy a pre-made gown than a fitted one and Malyda did not want to spend more than she had to on me.

I was happy for my gown, it was a lovely one that was actually tall enough for me unlike the velvet one that ended five inches above my ankle. For most of the time in the tailor's shop, I had just sat down and let the Steps yammer on about all the various blahs of dresses. Finally, after a long, annoying period of senseless yapping the Steps realized I was there and decided to deal with me quickly. When I stood up, the tailor's eyes widened a bit, I was taller than him by a few centimeters.

"Do you happen to have any prepared gowns for giants?" Malyda had asked, Klara and Claira both laughing a bit. The tailor just nodded, walked off briskly and came back with a pile of gowns. Malyda looked surprised, I don't think she actually expected to find so many things that would fit me.

"I used to get many orders from the Duchess of Arla, the Countess of Dorsin, and many other ladies including the Queen, all very tall, some taller even than you," the tailor had said to me. I smiled and looked at the row of gowns the tailor had picked out. All of them were very pretty, but the one that caught my eye was a lovely pale green gown with gold laced sleeves. The lace had a rose design on it and was used on the top part of the gown as well. It looked soft, the dress itself being a shining silk. I picked it up and went to try it on. When I came out and looked into the wide mirror, I was very impressed at what I saw. Though I was not very lovely myself at the moment, my hair being frizzy again from running after the carriage, my lips incredibly chapped, and the dark circles having made a reappearance under my eyes, the dress was spectacular. It actually seemed to work with me, instead of take me over like all my other gown experiences. It was not the green of my eyes, but it still brought them out a bit. The dress itself was a little too long, but only because it was made for evening clothes instead of day ones which required different apparel. The only problem would be that the sleeves itched a bit against my skin, but it was endurable. In general, I liked it quite a bit. I had turned to Malyda at that moment and looked to her hopefully. I could see that she thought the gown was pretty too in the way her eyes flared at my success in finding a dress. She sighed and turned to the tailor.

"How much is the gown?" she asked him, I knew she was hoping that it would be a lot so that she could refuse to buy it. I looked to the tailor and saw him looking at me, he had a very odd look on his face. It was surprised and... was it a bit scared. I still don't understand what that look was. He, after several silent moments, took his gaze off me and focused on Malyda.

"You may have it. No cost necessary," the tailor replied, I smiled. And gave myself a last glance before I had to go and take it off.

"Are you listening, Elora?" I heard the Virus question, pulling me away from my day dream. I turned my gaze to Malyda who was sitting next to me.

"Uh... of course Lady Malyda," I lied, though it was quite obvious that I was lying. Oh well, it was worth a try.

"What were we talking about then?" Malyda asked. I don't know, you could have been plotting my death and I wouldn't have known!

"Uh... lace?"

"Lucky guess!" Claira exclaimed, across from me. I was right? Wow.

"Lace for what?" Klara interrogated.

"The dress?"

"Well, obviously! But what part of the gown?" Klara asked me again. I just sat in silence for a moment. How many parts could you have lace for?

"The sleeves?" I answered, thinking about my own dress's gold lace sleeves.

"There!" Claira cried, "She wasn't listening!" Well, obviously.

"Donnell! Stop the carriage for a moment!" Malyda demanded, when it did stop, Malyda turned to me, "I will not have you disrespecting us. Now, it should take you another hour to get to the estate, that is plenty of time to think about what you've done," She then leaned across me and pushed the door open. I stepped out of the carriage and started walking, watching the carriage pull away from me.

It was not so bad, quite the opposite actually. Malyda apparently did not take walks or she would have known that it would only be maybe twenty minutes to the estate from the city. Her reasons for sending me out were bad ones, but most of the punishments I got were for really stupid reasons. I walked along the streets of the city. I was on the edge of the city and just walked along until I reached the trees that bordered the city that led to the road to the estate or, in my case, to the hill that led to my tree.

I walked through the trees, my legs getting cold from the exposure to the snow. I wrapped the shawl further around my arms and kept going. I had almost reached the hill, wen I heard some thing behind me. I stopped a moment, decided it was a squirrel, and moved on. Then I heard it again. I stopped, turned around swiftly, found nothing but trees, decided that I either was crazy or there is a loud squirrel out there, and went on. When I heard it the third time, I knew that no squirrel would make that much noise and knew that I wasn't _that _crazy, so I stopped and stood still. I waited and waited. I relaxed after several moments and slowly started to move on. Maybe I _was_ that crazy, maybe I should be put in a...

"Boo!"

"AH!" I turned around swiftly to face a mysterious cloaked figure laughing like mad. I on the other hand, was literally mad. I crossed my hands and glared at Cloak. He stopped laughing for a moment, but then just started up again. I had enough of it and I turned and started walking briskly up the hill.

"Wait!" I heard behind me, Cloak still chuckling a bit, "Tree! Wait! I was just having fun!" I spun around.

"It's only fun when I do it!" I told him.

"Oh is it?" he laughed

"Well... no, but... ugh! You scared me!" Cloak laughed at this too, I turned back around and kept going. After a little while, Cloak caught up to me with his horse and walked next to me.

"I'm sorry. Please don't be mad at me!" he had stopped laughing, he sounded almost pleading, "I just saw you going into the wood and I wanted to-" but I interrupted.

"Terrify me?"

"Well, not at first, but you left your self vulnerable and I had to take the opportunity," I could feel laughter bubbling in his voice, but I glared at him to make him stop, making out some brown eyes through the cloak, "Actually, I wanted to find out your name,"

"What makes you think that I would give my name to someone who won't even show me their face?" Really, I'm not stupid. Don't talk to strangers and don't share personal information with mysterious cloaked figures.

"Well... nothing really. I was just hoping,"

"Look," I explained, "If you will not give me your name, nor show me your face, I think it is completely fair for me to at least keep my name from you. Why do you wear that cloak in the first place?" I asked, walking ahead of him a bit.

"It's...um...sort of... complicated,"

"Is it? Or do you just not want to tell?"

"Well..."

"Never mind!" I growled. I stormed off ahead of him.

"Hey!" Cloak called, "Tree! Wait!" I stopped and turned to him.

"What?" I snapped. He was really getting on my nerves.

"You're right that I don't want to tell you, but I'll let you guess who I am. Yes or noquestions please." I smiled a bit. Finally something entertaining. This could be funny.

"All right. You're a bandit whose escaped from the dungeons and you don't want to show your face because you'll be recognized!" Please say yes, please say yes. He chuckled.

"No." I thought a bit as we walked along.

"You're an assassin on a top secret mission and the 'King's guards' are only a disguise for your accomplices. This whole thing, even this conversation is a cover," Cloak laughed again.

"No,"

"You're a knight whose betrayed the King!"

"No,"

"A crazy minstrel that everyone wants dead because you're so horrible at singing!"

"Well, I'm not good at singing, but no."

"A bad wizard!"

"No,"

"A murderer!"

"You should hope not!" Cloak exclaimed, I laughed.

"A lunatic!"

"That's you,"

"Oh, right, sorry... A dancer?"

"A dancer? Why would I have to hide my face? And why would the guards chase me?"

"I don't know, you tell me!"I said. Cloak laughed

"Well, I'm not a dancer,"

"A rock!"

"I'm not even going to ask where that came from," Cloak said, laughing and shaking his head a bit.

"Good, because I don't _know_ where it came from,"I admitted. Cloak laughed some more. I caught a smile through his cloak and smiled with it.

"You are a lot of fun," he said

"I still don't know what you are," I told him.

"Fine. One more guess." I thought about this for a long time.

"Maybe you are just my imagination. Maybe I made you up," We didn't say anything after that. We just walked in an awkward silence. I mean, incredibly awkward. I felt stupid for saying that aloud, so I just kept my mouth firmly closed so I wouldn't say anything else that sounded idiotic. When we got to the tree I ran over to it and was about to climb it when I realized that it would mean Cloak would learn the way up. I turned to him.

"Turn around so I can climb up the tree!"

"How can you even get up there?" he asked.

"It's a secret! And I would like to keep it that way, so turn around!" I ordered, Cloak just stood there, I knew he wouldn't turn around, he was probably smiling right now, but I couldn't tell through the cloak. Why couldn't he just take the stupid thing off?

"Fine! I won't go up the tree!" I shouted,storming over to him and sitting down under the tree, my whole dress getting wet in the snow. Cloak just laughed at my anger.

"For someone who said that they didn't have fun their whole life, you do laugh a lot!" I stated. This just made him laugh more.

"For the one who has taught me to have fun, you can be very grouchy!" I glared at him which just made him laugh more. His laugh was a great one, it made me feel like he had never had a better time before now and it was all because of me. I soon gave in to hishappiness and started laughing too. When we both calmed down, Cloak spoke up again.

"Finally you have decided to cheer up!" He exclaimed.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, "I had to spend a full five hours in a tailor shop! All those cloths and ruffles and pretty little bows got to my head!"

"That sounds fun," Cloak replied sarcastically.

"Oh yeah," I said, rolling my eyes, "You know, I have nothing against gowns, I just don't want to spend every breathing moment of my life in a tailor shop! I would prefer not to die while I listen to women babble on about whether they should wear rose, pale pink, or pink!" I said, rolling my eyes again as I did a voice mimicking the Steps.

"I feel that way for a lot of things!" Cloak chuckled.

"Oh, me too! There are so many things that I used to be able to tolerate until they consumed my life!" I was thinking about the Steps right now.

"Like what?" Cloak asked, he wasn't being probing, he was just curious.

"Well, clothes, obviously, useless errands, parties and visits, all that horrible mess,"

"Do you go to balls? I don't think I've ever seen you at court." I paused atthisfor a moment and then laughed.

"I wouldn't know whether I've ever seen you at court!" I exclaimed.

"So you have gone to court?" Cloak asked

"Well..." What should I say? What should I say? I heard some horses galloping towards us from farther down the top of the hill. I stood up to see and was then scooped up by Cloak onto the horse. He grabbed the reins, his arms coming around mywaist, and galloped away. This really hurt. I kept on going up and down, landing hard against the top of the corset. Ow...ow...ow. We passed my house and I caught a glimpse of Zou Zou giving me an odd look. The guards chased us into the forest behind the estate and Cloak wove the horse through the brush until he finally made a swift turn and stopped the horse behind a huge tree. The guards just passed us by. When I thought it was safe, I slowly got off the horse, holding my stomach. Ow. When Cloak got off after me, I swung my hand around and smacked him hard on his arm. It actually really hurt my hand too.

"Ow! What was that for?" Cloak asked, rubbing his arm.

"What was _that_ for! Just because you are having trouble with the royal guards does not mean that you have to drag me into it too!" I smacked him against the other arm, though not as hard, I wanted to keepmy hand alive.

"I just wanted to talk to you!" He yelled.

"Why?" I shouted.

"Because I don't get the chance to talk to people like I have with you!"

"Maybe that's because you have guards chasing you all the time! Or it could be that you wear a cloak! I don't know, that could be a problem for some people to handle!"

"Is it a problem for you?" Cloak asked me. I paused for a moment.

"It's annoying, but it's not a problem," I said honestly, Cloak's shoulder's seemed to relax a bit, "I'm expected home now," I told him, turning to leave, "I have to go." I started walking away.

"Tree!" I stopped and turned around, I was actually getting used to that name very quickly, "Can you meet me tomorrow in the morning? By the tree perhaps?" I sighed at his questions.

"I can't make any promises, I might be busy, but I will only show up on two conditions. No scooping me up on your horse for a mad horse chase and I get to go up in the tree without showing you how to get up." I answered.

"Deal. I'll see you tomorrow," Cloak said.

"Maybe," I reminded him and walked away.

"Lovely to see you again Tree!" Cloak shouted after me.

"Oh, you too!" I said, partly meaning it and partly saying it sarcastically.

When I reached the house, I found Zou Zou waiting for mein front of the house. She looked at me with a large, evil smile and came up to me. Oh no, I know what she's thinking.

"So, whose he?" she asked. I rolled my eyes.

"Some gentleman I met this morning,"

"So?"

"What?"

"Well..."

"Oh, do be quite! You have got the wrong idea! I just met him today!" I shouted at her.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Zou Zou asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Ugh! You really are only thirteen aren't you?" I said smiling.

"One more week!" We laughed together and went inside to get to work.

It had actually been a nice day, other than the corset... and the Steps... and the gown shopping. Fine! A lot of bad stuff happened, but a lot of good happened to! I made two new friends, even though I don't know how one looks or what his name is, and one is just plain insane sometimes. It was now night and I had finished most of the variouschores I had needed to do and even had some time to relax. I was just about done sweeping the hallway when my work was interrupted.

"Elora!" Malyda called. I winced. It wasn't time now was it? I looked at the clock which read nine fifteen. I winced again, putting my broom down and walking down the hall to the dining room where Malyda, Klara, and Claira all sat. I bowed my head a bit.

"You called?"

"Elora, I am so glad you are here," Malyda said with a malicious smile, her two daughters laughing at her side, "I would like to tell you a story tonight. You might learn something from it. It starts as most stories do. I think you know how it goes."I put my fists behind my back, they were already tightening.

"Once upon a time..."


	5. The Stair Case Incident

A week went by and now it was the day of the twins' birthday ball. Though their birthday was in December, they always held the ball in early February since the snow was less troublesome to guests. The ball was normally pretty extravagant, but since the King and Prince were to come, Miss Malady and the twisted twins made sure to make this ball more overly done than all the rest. They hired more temporary servants to wait for the party, bought new wine glasses and china, hung ribbons and banners about the room, hired a full orchestra to play instead of the quartet they usually got, had the whole ballroom waxed and shined by me repeatedly, and made sure that every peace of furniture, fabric, plate and so on would compliment their gowns. Everything was so perfect that you felt like you may very well puke for the rest of your life.

I had only seen Cloak four more times over the week, two of the times only lasting about fifteen minutes. Zou Zou and I spent a lot of time together, part of the time being insane together and the other part when the Steps were present pretending we didn't care if the other was choking. The week had been a short week, but it had been a nice one.

Today, Zou Zou was ordered to clean the stables. When I came to help her like I had been ordered to I heard her singing grouchily.

"Happy Birthday to me

Scooping horse poop and pee

I want to kill a certain lady

Happy Birthday to me"

Oh no! It was Zou Zou's birthday! I had completely forgot. Poor Zou Zou. I bet Malyda knew about this, she probably sent Zou Zou to clean the stables on purpose. Malyda loved to play her sick jokes. Zou Zou and I were the only ones in the stables. Yeah, Malyda had definitely planned this. Perfect, just perfect.

"Hey there Zou Zou!" I called as I came towards her.

"Hi Elora," Zou Zou growled. She really wasn't liking this.

"How about I take over for you? It'll be my birthday present to you," I offered. Zou Zou looked at me. I could tell she wanted to object, but she wanted to not clean the stables even more. She smiled her mischievous smile and walked up to me with the shovel.

"You are so cheap," she said, smiling.

"Don't worry, I have something else for you too," I said, giggling.

"Oh! Oh! Does Malyda have a fatal disease? That would be the best present ever!" Zou Zou exclaimed. We laughed together and then Zou Zou handed me the shovel and walked off.

"Thank you Elora!" she called over her shoulder, "And don't let the fumes kill you!"

"I'm not making any promises!" I shouted to her, crinkling my nose at the smell.

"Okay! Nice knowing you!" she called back, laughing. I laughed with her and then I got started. It was horrible work. Each time I thought I was done, one of the horses would decide to prove me wrong. When I finally cleaned everything pretty well after cursing the horses many many times, I left the stables. The sun had almost disappeared, there were probably less than two hours till the ball started. I went up to the house and when I got inside I was attacked by a mad Zou Zou.

"Where were you? I looked everywhere and I couldn't find you. Did you know that the ball is in only one hour? You want to get me fired for not having you ready in time? Answer each question in order! Now!" She demanded.

"Uh... I was in the stables where you left me,"

"Damn, I forgot to look there! Next question!"

"Uh...no,"

"Wait, what was the question?"

"Which question? The second one or third one?"

"Um... Never mind! Just get to the guest room now! There is a bath ready for you, it's as cold as Malyda's heart, but that's your fault. Call me when you're done. Now go!" I looked at her oddly, for a thirteen year-old who was shorter than me, she could be rather demanding.

"What are you looking at? I'm not going to bathe you! Claira asked me to bathe her and it took all my will not to scream 'I rather drown myself in the tub!' Now go!" Zou Zou said. I looked at her in horrified awe.

"You had to bathe Claira!" I questioned.

"No no NO! I told her that she didn't want my grubby hands in her room and she immediately agreed when I showed her," Zou Zou explained, holding out her hands. They weren't even that dirty.

"Now go before I call Claira and Klara over to tell you how beautiful they look," Zou Zou threatened. She would do it, I could see it in her eyes.

"God no!"I shouted, running up the stairs, Zou Zou laughing behind me. I turned down and went down the hall to the guest rooms. I turned into the one that smelled strongly of flowers. I undressed, went passed the bed and over to the tub, and stepped in. It was definitely not as cold as Malyda's heart, but it was still pretty cold. I took my time with it though, scrubbing out all the stinkiness I had collected. Even if it was cold, I still indulged in it. This was the first actual bath I had with soap and stuff in...wait, when was the last time? I don't remember. I got out and dried myself off as best I could. I then put on some of the undergarments that were set out on the bed.

"Claire!" I called. I always used "Claire" instead of "Zou Zou" when the Steps could be around, Zou Zou had agreed that it was necessary, but she still shuddered at the name.

"What!" I heard Claira shout back. She still hadn't learned to differentiate the two, though she was getting a little better at it.

"Not you Claira!" I answered, holding back a laugh, "The maid!" Claira didn't say anything. Zou Zou then came into the room with a... oh no! She had a crinoline!

See, here's the thing about hooped skirts. They're horrible! When you are walking about, you have to be careful not to bump into anything, like a table with a very expensive vase... or something like that, or else it will probably fall to a horrible crashing death! When you sit down at a large dinner party with many snooty people... just for example, you have to sit perfectly. If you sit too far back, then the skirt will fly up and your undergarments will be exposed to all the snobby rich people, but if you sit too far forward, you will role right off the chair and you may even hit the person next to you, causing a horrible domino effect of furs and hats and hands with wine in them that happen to land on the most important lady in the room, ruining her dress for eternity. How do I know this you ask? That is between me and the crinoline... and the thirty people that were there at the time. Zou Zou was giving me an apologetic room as she brought it in.

"I am so sorry," she said, her eyebrows raised high and closer together to show her regret. I looked at her, biting my lip, and took a deep breath.

"Let's just get this over with fast," I told her. Zou Zou nodded and approached me to start her work. She finished dressing me, dress, corset, crinoline and all. I looked down at the gown and was glad that the crinoline was not very large one, the edges only coming out about a foot and a half from my ankle. Zou Zou then sat me down in front of a mirror and started going at my hair. It was still wet, but that just made it easier to deal with. Zou Zou was able to dry it out enough to make it manageable and then put it up. She gave me a loose french roll and was able to curl the left over strands with expert twists of her hands. The whole time I was itching my arms, the sleeves itching a little more since I washed of all the grime of my body. Zou Zou would slap my hands though.

"You want red arms at the ball?" Zou Zou asked

"I'm only going for a little bit," I pointed out.

"Maybe, but that short time will determine whether or not I am of any use at all working here and I don't want to leave. So stop scratching!" I put my hands down, but it was hard to resist the temptation to scratch, especially when there was nothing to do but think about it. The whole time Zou Zou was fluffing and adjusting and redoing my hair and all that, I was focusing on how much my arms itched and the amount of times I heard people coming in to the house. Zou Zou put me through all sorts of things until she was finally satisfied.

"There," she said, "All done." I decided to actually look at what she had done to me. I half expected to see no change, and half expected to see some girl I didn't recognize, like all those stories. The girl in the mirror was me through and through. She had the same forest eyes, the same freckles, and the same gold-yellow hair that seemed to like to frizz out a bit. How ever, the girl in the mirror seemed a little more... dignified. My hair, though still wild, seemed more put together. The hair style outlined my face nicely. I had green, jeweled earrings on with a matching diamond shaped necklace that complimented the dress and brought out the green of my eyes, making them seem more exotic instead of freaky. Though I was not gorgeous, I certainly looked imposing. I saw my mirror self straighten up with the new found confidence and I felt my own self rise. I stood up and turned to Zou Zou. She smiled at me.

"I think I did a pretty good job," she said, congratulating both herself and me.

"I think you did too," I confirmed, nodding my head in approval. Zou Zou looked over at the clock in the room. It read seven thirty-seven, I would be expected soon.

"You only have to be there for a little while, you should probably practice maneuvering this whole thing. Don't want you to roll down the stairs and crack your ribs from the corsets impact," Zou Zou chuckled. I nodded, laughing with her.

"First," Zou Zou added, "We need to get your shoes." She started searching the room. Oh no! I completely forgot about shoes!

"Um... Zou Zou," I said, Zou Zou turning to me, "I don't have any shoes,"

"No shoes!" she shouted, "No shoes! How can you be so stupid as not to get any shoes!" she exclaimed.

"It just didn't cross my mind," I told her.

"Your brain must be really small for the idea not to have found your puny mind!" She shouted. She was not making me feel any better.

"Um... breath?" I offered. Zou Zou glared at me and then took my advice and took a large breath.

"Okay," she said, "I might be able to help. I still have a pair of shoes that can work for this. They might be too small for you, but they're a little to big for me so they should fit you pretty well. I'll be right back." Zou Zou left the room in a hurry and no more than thirty seconds later, she appeared with a lovely pair of shimmering white slippers. They had a small heal on them, one that looked fashionable, but did not keep you from dancing well. They glimmered magnificently so that if you didn't look carefully at them (and who really looks that close at shoes?) they almost looked like they were crystal, or glass. They were lovely. I sat down on the bed and slipped them on. They fit perfectly! It was amazing!

"Where did you get these?" I asked Zou Zou. They must have cost a fortune.

"I'm not entirely poor, and I was not always working as a maid for some pompous ladies!" Zou Zou explained, "I have lots of trouble finding a nice pair of shoes that will fit me, so when I stumbled on these, I had to get them!"

"They're wonderful!"

"I know, so if you ruin them I may have to... do something bad to you... of some sort. I may not know what it is right now, but I don't think you wan to push me to the point of figuring it out," Zou Zou warned, smiling evilly at me, "Now, let's start practicing operating this. Keep you from making a complete fool of yourself in the few minutes you'll be making an appearance," she added. I nodded and started walk about the room, falling several times before I was able to stand. Zou Zou was not helping a lot, she laughed so hard when I fell on my butt and the crinoline lifted up forcing me to roll about on the floor before I could get up. Not funny! NOT! Well, now that I think about it, it was incredibly funny. Still, let's see Zou Zou walk about in a death trap!

"Okay, you're fine. Time to go!" Zou Zou said, coming behind me and pushing me out the door, "Remember, you're in, you're out, and then you're in the kitchens to help with the refreshments. Have fun!" she finished when we reached the stairs. She slid down the rail, obviously not wanting to walk down the stairs and trip. I looked at her jealously. I had to take the stairs slowly so as not to trip. When I reached the bottom I turned to my left and headed down the wide hall to the opening to the ball room. There were to servants standing at the side. It was Gebby and Christo. I was about to step through the threshold when Christo held out a hand to me.

"You have to take the stairs, Elora," he said. Oh great! I knew this would happen, I was just hoping that it wouldn't.

"Can I just come through here? It can't be_ that _important, Christo," I pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Elora. If your step-mother finds out that we let you pass, we'll lose our jobs," Gebby informed. It seemed that a lot of people relied on me doing stuff I didn't like in order to keep their jobs. I sighed and nodded.

"Okay," I gave in, "If I fall to my death, you guys make sure that stair case is destroyed," I smiled. Gebby and Christo laughed.

"We promise. If we have the time, we'll try to do the same to Malyda and the twins," Christo joked. We all laughed again and I turned to my left to head up the stair case that lead to the top of the ball room stairs.

"Please do!" I laughed as I was going up the stairs. When I reached the top, there was a short line of two couples and a young girl. They step forward into the brightly lit ballroom, standing at the top of an elegant ball room stairway with gold stair rails. A young man stood at the side, I didn't know him, he was one of the hired servants.

He would ask for the names of the people and would announce really loudly so that all who were interested could hear, "The Duke and Duchess of North Nalreb, Sir Alano Thostam and Lady Laritta Thostam!" or "The Count and Countess of Delbram, Sir Stephor Idoter, and Lady Danette Idoter!" over the sound of the soft music of the orchestra. The line then cleared up and I stepped forward.

"What is your name miss?" the man asked.

"Elora Aimon," I answered.

"Any title you would wish me to announce?"

"I don't know,"

"You don't know?" He asked.

"Well, my father was the Baron of this estate and my step-mother is Malyda, but I don't have a title of any sort," I explained, this whole situation was incredibly uncomfortable. The man sighed and turned out ward.

"Lady Elora Aimon, step-daughter of the Baroness Malyda Aimon!" He announced. I cringed a bit at how he labeled me. I didn't want to be associated with Miss Malady. I especially did not want to be associated with 'Baroness' Malady. There was a slight rise in the chatter of the room and then an odd drop. Since I was not seen at court or at any social event, I knew people were curious as to what I was like. I sighed a bit and started making my way down the stairs. One at a time Elora, one at a time. It was actually fairly easy since the steps were so wide. I decided I could look up and check out the crowd.

I found that a lot of people were looking at me. I mean _a lot._ People had stopped dancing and were looking at me. Did I tear my dress? Is my hair a mess? I quickly looked over myself and casually ran a hand about my hair. Nothing seemed wrong. A thought crossed my mind. Do they think I'm beautiful? I then remembered the lady I had seen in the mirror. Nah. I was just having a vain moment. My thought was confirmed when I looked into the faces of the people and saw not fascination or admiration, but the same look that I had gotten from the tailor. A lot of them looked surprised, and almost... scared. Others just seemed confused at why everyone was like this, myself included. My eyes came across the crowd when I saw Claira and Klara both glaring at me for getting so much attention. I smiled at their frustration.

Oh no! I'm falling! I had gotten distracted and stepped to far forward and now I was falling. I _would_ tumble to my death! I heard a start of a gasp in the crowd. I closed my eyes and said a small good bye to Zou Zou and the house. Wait, what's this? Somebody has there arms around me! I'm saved! I heard the room let out a sigh of relief. I opened my eyes and stood up straight. I then turned to meet my savior.

A/N: another chappie! YEY! Sorry for not responding to reviews before. I was to lazy! muahahahhaha!

**Disclaimer: I do not own the happy birthday song. Don't sue! Please... Don't sue!**

laurashrub: That is soooo funny that your sister is called Tree! I know it's obvious who Cloak is, but still, it's fun to pretend that no one knows! Muahahahhaha! Glad you liked it! Hope you liked this one too! YEY FOR THOU!

Lulai: GLOMPING ALL ZE WAY! YEY! Glad you liked the banter! I like that word! Ban-ter! MUAHAHHAHAHHAHA! Aren't there aleways problems with gowns? Elora's dress reminded me of own of my gowns! Yes, I have a gown. It's blue and pretty and has itchy sleeves, but I love it! And about the whole Virus stuff, you are right, but I guess that this world knows about viruses, they're super smart or something. I don't know, I know it's messed up, but I'm to lazy to redo it. Zou Zou says she loves your story Cave of Wonders! I do TOO! YEY FOR THOU!

Panemonium1551: Glad you liked the last chapter! This chapter was not as humorous as the others, but I tried to make it informative, yet entertaining. ALL ZE WAY! Hope you liked it! YEY FOR THOU!

_casca should die a long and painful death:_ I AGREE! THAT BIZOTCH NEEDS TO ACCIDENTALLY STAB HIMSELF! IN THE BEGINNING OF THE PLAY! Yes, I know who you are, and not just because you signed as "Zou Zou" at the bottom. YEY FOR THOU!

Tanin (Taniis): It wasn't as big of a cliff hanger as this! MUAHAHAHAHAHHAHA! I AM ALL POWERFUL EVILNESS WOMAN! MUAHAHHAHAHAHA! I don't know about the tailor, maybe, I'll just have to wait and see. Hehehehhehe, you crazy, me crazy, CRAZY! I know Cloak would proabably be yummy, but really! Wouldn't that just ruin the story. HERE! LET ME CALL YOU A FAIRY AND GIVE YOU A BAGEL! FAIRY LADY! (Poof) "yes?" BAGEL PLEASE! "Here" there you go Tanin! YEY FOR THOU!


	6. Steps and Tailors

"Uh..." the announcer, still at the top of the stairs, mumbled, "Sir Arturus Gratanon, advisor to the King!" he managed to announce.

Standing next to me was a man, maybe in his early fifties, with greying dark blonde hair, with a beard to match, and incredibly dark blue eyes that almost looked black. At first, the his face was blank, but then something seemed to click in his mind and he had a face like everyone else had when they looked at me except his seemed to have a hint of curiosity and a little bit of what seemed to be mischief. I gave a small curtsy, not very successful considering I was standing on a stair case in a gown and that I never really practiced lady like curtsies. I bowed my head to make up for the bad curtsy, also not very successful since I was hyperventilating. When you have just been scared that you were going to crack your head open but you were just saved by someone grabbing you quickly around your corset tight waist, you tend to hyperventilate, or so I've learned.

"Thank you... so much sir... for... recovering me," I managed to drag out.

"You are most welcome Lady..." Sir Gratanon said, his voice low and kind of scary.

"Elora, Elora Aimon," I said, having caught my breath. I held out my hand in greeting. He took my hand and kissed it gently, keeping his gaze on me. He barely noticed the scars on my hand and my arm that I had gained from my labor for the Steps and from some mishaps from my childhood ( like the time I learned that I am too heavy for some branches, that hurt!). I looked at the crowd, all the while thinking how my rough hands looked horrible compare to the other ladies. No wonder! I had forgotten gloves! I felt self-concsious about Despite that, how ever, Sir Gratanon on gave them a short confused and interested glance and other wise kept his gaze focused on me. It was quite creepy, his dark eyes looking at me in a way that made me feel trapped like an animal. I resisted the temptation to shudder as he released my hand. Instead I looked up the staircase slightly. I saw another person running down the stairs towards me.

"Sir Jonaldo Solusend, Prince of Evola!" the announcer blurted out. I quickly turned to face the prince and gave a low, extremely uncomfortable curtsy as all others did. I felt like I would fall again, but I was some how able to keep my balance by swaying ever so slightly during the curtsy!

"Are you okay?" the prince asked me. His voice sounded incredibly concerned. I mean _really _concerned. Like "I may very well have a heart attack right now!" concerned. His voice sounded slightly familiar. No. It couldn't be. I probably heard him make a speech or something. I looked up, raising my eyebrow slightly.

"Yes, your majesty. Sir Gratanon was there to retrieve me." The prince turned to Sir Gratanon and nodded his head to him in gratitude.

"Thank you, Arturus, for saving the lady in time," the prince said. Why would the prince care if I fell to a horrible death? He doesn't know me, and even if he did he probably would care less than if he had known me. I know of three ladies I know very well that would have gladly watched me fall to a tumbling demise. Actually, they would probably push me and laugh.

"Jon! Jon!" I heard.

"King Regamort Solusend, ruler of Evola!" the announcer shouted, I think he was getting incredibly annoyed with people just running forward before they were properly announced. The King? Great! Now I have to really curtsy. I dipped low, like everyone else. My knees hurt and I heard my knee crack a bit. When I rose, I realized that I had risen a little too early, the King only giving a motion of dismissal from the horrid stance moments after I was up. The King was not looking at me.

"Jonaldo, what were you doing?" the King said in a cold voice. The prince looked a little pained, as if his fathers coldness were giving him frostbite or something. He obviously doesn't know coldness like I do. I've had to deal with worse Steps than the ones I almost fell down.

"I was just seeing if Lady Elora was well, father," the prince replied. He looked to me to chow what he was talking about. The king did not turn to me how ever, he seemed intent on scolding his son, even for something incredibly stupid. I felt the need to say something since the stupid reason the prince was being scolded happen to be that he was just checking on me. I really didn't know what to say. What should one say when they are contradicting a King? Even so, I spoke up.

"Your Highness, it is no fault of the prince's. It was my mistake in tripping in the first place. Prince Jonaldo came to check on his..." what's the word, " subject," that's it, "I see this as a wonderful quality in a monarch," what else should I say, "I would not doubt... that it is a quality that you have enforced on him yourself... your Highness." I curtsied a bit, giving more of an effort in order to support my point. I gave a silent prayer that I was not about to be accused of treason and be punished by way of beheading, or hanging, or being pushed down the stairs! I looked up to find the King giving me a small, warm smile , but when I smiled back, he hid it with the cold cover he had before, and looked away.

"Very well. Good job, boy," the King said, though it was uncaring, "And Arturus, it was good fortune you caught the lady," Sir Gratanon nodded and after a short awkward silence the King said, "Well, we should all be off now. Appearances and such to keep up. I shall meet with you tonight Arturus. Jonaldo, be sure to socialize with the people. A prince does not stay distant from his people. Good evening lady. It is a relief to still have you standing." The king nodded to us and Sir Gratanon and Jonaldo bowed as I curtsied. I looked around to the two gentleman and found that both of them were looking at me. I felt quite uncomfortable and decided that it was time to get out of here before I was stuck here with these two men looking at me with those eyes. A contrast of dark, blue eyes and light, hazel ones looking at me intently, like they wanted something from me.

"Um... Gentlemen, I feel the need to retire to my room. I am incredibly distraught from the whole stair incident and feel the need to lie down. Thank you again, Sir Gratanon, for saving me and thank you, your majesty, for seeing that I was well. It was a pleasure to meet you both, but I must away," I was having some trouble speaking like this.

"It would be a shame for you to leave on such a matter. You should not let the accident ruin your fun," Prince Jonaldo said. Fun? What fun?

"The prince is right Lady Elora. Your evening should not be forfeited due to such a small incident as this. You are well enough and I am sure that the fall has not affected you in such a gross way that requires you to take leave," Sir Gratanon put in. He used a lot of words. Why didn't he just say, "What the prince said" ? Maybe I no usin' 'nough words. I held a laugh from the thought in my mind, but I felt an odd smile come on my face and saw the gentlemen look at me amused. I straightened out my face and cleared my throat.

"I am... honored that you both wish that I stay. How ever, you do not seem to understand that I am... very... I mean... incredibly exhausted. Being a lady, I may very well faint. I would not like to make a larger spectacle," Oh god, I'm really bad at this talking-like-a-lady thing, "Good evening to you both," I added, walking (carefully) down the rest of the stairs. I barely got two steps when Malyda was walking up to me.

"Oh Elora! I was so worried about you!" she exclaimed, she then turned to Sir Gratanon, "Thank you very much for recovering her! I do not know what I would do if she were to be hurt!" Well, you'd probably make me work anyway.

"You are very welcome Lady Aimon," I shuddered when Sir Gratanon called Malyda an Aimon, "It was greatly fortunate that I was able to reach her in time," he added.

"Well, I can not thank you enough. I love Elora as if she were my own daughter," Malyda declared looking at me with eyes so hateful that any one who didn't know Malyda personally would think that they were loving, like water so freezing that you might mistake it for hot. I knew that Malyda understood that no one else but me would think she was telling me how much she hated saying that I was like a daughter to her.

"I am glad also that I have you as a guardian, Malyda. It is convenient that you have come to me, I was actually going to seek you out to tell you that I will be in my room to recover from my fall," I said, sending Malyda a fake look of appreciation, but unlike her look to me, mine was a little too obviously fake and I caught the prince and Sir Gratanon giving us odd glances from the side of my eye.

"Of course, darling. What ever you need. You have gone through quite a traumatic experience. I am sure Klara and Claira will understand. You go rest up now," Malyda told me. I thought I caught a glare from her for a moment, but I wasn't sure. I returned her glare by turning sharply from her to go down the stairs. I then looked back up the stairs, my back faced away from Malyda.

"Good evening again to you both. It was a pleasure to meet you both," I gave a small side ways curtsy and went down the stairs, "Good evening, Malyda," I called over my shoulder in an overly sweet voice. I took the stairs slowly and steadily, hearing Malyda chatter away with Sir Gratanon and the prince. I stumbled again, slanting to my left side, I let out a small shriek, but was steadied by someone's hand. I turned to see the light brown hair and even lighter eyes of the prince looking down on me.

"Let me escort you down the stairs," he offered. I really wanted to jerk my arm away and shout, "I can go down the stairs myself!", but I realized there was so much wrong with that. First, he was the prince and you just don't treat princes like that unless you have already written out your will and you really want Joannise to get that dresser she has always wanted. Second, I actually can't walk down the stairs myself with out cracking my head open, I have already proven that.

"Thank you majesty," I said, putting my hand over his outstretched one. Malyda and Sir Gratanon caught up with us, and though I could tell Malyda wanted to get me out, Sir Gratanon and her were having a lovely conversation about I don't know what and she knew that it would be rude to break out of it. Mean while, me and the prince did not say anything except the "Eek!" from me, the "I've got you" from the prince, and the "Thank you majesty" from me. The prince tried to start conversation twice, but I ruined it. I just don't feel very comfortable in the presence of a prince! I don't know how to act! I can't be isolated from society for years and all of the sudden know how to treat royalty! I just can't! When we reached the bottom of the stairs, which, thank god, did not take very long, I turned to the prince and gave a small curtsy.

"Thank you, your majesty, for assisting me down the stairs. I hope you enjoy the party," I told him. He opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by a frantic lady dressed in a pink... I mean _rose _gown.

"Your majesty," Klara said, giving the prince a perfect curtsy before she turned to me, "Elora! Oh my! You gave me quite a scare," Klara exclaimed, "Thank you so much, your majesty, for assisting her the rest of the way down the stairs. Poor Elora is ill and has been having much trouble with motion,"

"She is sick is she?" the prince asked, his eyebrows raised in both amusement. Klara looked at me and I could see the expectant look on her eyes. She now knew that Malyda and I had not stuck to the original plan, but she was not about to make herself see m like a fool.

"Oh yes," I said, coughing twice in my hand. Oh my god, this was so stupid. Klara smiled more and turned back to the prince.

"We told her that she needn't come if she felt sick, but she insisted that it was her obligation to make a small appearance and we did not pressure her," Klara explained, "Elora is like family and all her wishes are granted. I now fear, though, that letting her come today was a mistake," Klara said, giving me one of those so-cold-it's-hot looks her mother had given me. At this moment, Claira came up to the group in her blue... I mean _pale_ blue gown, wanting to get her moment in the spotlight in. She also curtsied to the prince.

"Your majesty," she said, "Elora, shouldn't you be... at your appointment... with the tailor?" Oh my god! This was horrible!

"I thought she was sick," the prince mentioned, I could tell that he wanted to laugh. Claira looked confused.

"Well..." Claira started, "She is ill! It's just a special tailor, one that we have wanted for Elora for so long of a time. See, this tailor... can make clothes that... cure you from any ill," she sputtered out, he grace flickering as she hesitated. Oh my god! This was hilarious!

"I've never heard of such a tailor," the prince inquired, a smile playing at his lips.

"Well..." Claira and Klara mumbled. Just then, Malyda and Sir Gratanon decided to join into the chaotic conversation.

"What have you been discussing?" Malyda asked.

"Oh," the prince said, "We are now talking about this fantastic tailor that Elora has an appointment with. You know, Lady Malyda, the one who can make clothes to cure your ills. I was just wondering why I had never heard of such a tailor." Sir Gratanon looked confused. Malyda looked like a rock had hit her in the head, but she recovered herself.

"Most people haven't," Malyda explained, "See... he doesn't wish to be well known. If many people know about him, he knows that his talent will be abused,"

"Yes!" said Claira, "That is why it is so hard to get a hold of him. He is very hard to find,"

"And that is why Elora should be on her way," Klara proclaimed.

"What is the tailor's name?" the prince said. This was such a mess. Such a mess! The steps were hesitating when I decided to enter the muddle.

"Your Majesty, there is not much point of the tailor being private if his client's share his name now is there? I would not wish to betray his confidence and risk losing any appointment with him. I do have an appointment with him at this moment, so I must depart. I hope you under stand," I said, raising my eyebrow and hoping that my amusement of this whole story was not showing on my face.

"What about your rest?" Sir Gratanon asked, obviously still a little confused at what was going on.

"Yes, what of that?" the prince questioned. I tried to hide a laugh, his majesty obviously had a majestic sense of humor.

"I will have time to rest in the carriage. Good evening to you all. Happy Birthday step-sisters. Good evening, Malyda. Thank you again, Sir Gratanon, for aiding me earlier. Good evening to your majesty, thank you for escorting me down the stairs. My apologies to you, gentlemen, for not making a longer appearance. Now, I must be off," I turned to walk out the door where Gebby and Christo stood, but the sly voice of Sir Gratanon behind me made me stop.

"You know, Lady Aimon, It Lady Elora keeps missing such grand social events, I do believe that rumors will start to circulate and your eligibility as a baroness may be questioned," there was a small pause before Sir Gratanon continued, "But if this tailor is so important, I guess it is worth the risk," Sir Gratanon finished. His menacing voice made me shiver.

"I... it is not that important," Malyda gave in, "Elora," I turned to face her, "Why don't we schedule the tailor for another day, you do not seem very ill. Do you mind?" Yes.

"No," I answered, "But I do require to retreat to my room for a moment, I forgot my gloves,"

"Of course," Malyda said. I bowed my head to the group.

"Good evening to you all. I shall return shortly,"

"Good evening," Sir Gratanon said.

"See you soon," said the prince.

I turned and exited the room, nodding to Gebby and Christo. When I was farther down the hall, I was deciding on whether to laugh at the conversation, or to just stare in shock that I was actually going to stay at the ball. I chose the first one and laughed the whole way up the stairs having to stop to kneel on a step and hold my stomach. A tailor that makes clothes that can sure any illness! That was hilarious!

* * *

A/N: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! YOU ALL THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD BE CLOAK! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I actually knew that you would, so I took out the part where she sees that it is actually Sir Gratanon because I wanted to trick you! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I AM SO EVIL! and yes! I did already have the whole Gratanon thing planned out before you all said that you thought that it was Cloak! And I changed the name of the last chapter because the whole reason I called it "OH NO! ELORA DIED!" was to make you read it! HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA! I bet you all hate me now. (Please don't) I also want to say that I will probably only do one more chapter for this, then do some more chapters for my other story to catch it up (I've kind of been neglecting it) and then I will take a break from the writing which means that I will not upload for this story very quickly. I bet you all hate me MORE now. See, I want to focus on my school work, some of my poetry, and also on my music and painting (I promised to make a portrait of my friend more than a month ago and I still have to do it, not to mention the fact that I promised another friend that I would give her a picture of a fish that I painted with my toes, yes, with my toes yes, I am bloody crazy!). I bet you all hate me SOOOO much now. DON'T THROW ROCKS AT ME! PLEASE!

**panemonium:** I'm sorry that I made it all cliff hangery! I hope you didn't die a thousand deaths from surprise! BUT IT WAS SURPRISING WASN'T IT? HAHAHAHAHAHA! Thank you sooo much for reviewing!

**Sirenic Griffin:** Ah! Confuzzlement! I'm sorry about the whole school stuff! School sucks like a duck in a truck with a buck and no luck and there's more that rhymes with suck but I ain't gonna say it! I'll just think it! Hehe. AH! I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND THE WHOLE 'ENTER' THING! THAT HAS HAPPENED TO ME SO MANY TIMES! He He! Lovely times in the land of prom dresses (gag). NOT EVERYONE IS IN THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE! I actually used to live in New Zealand for four years or so! KIWIS ALL ZE WAY! Except they really need to lose Wate's sauce (or how ever it's spelled). That stuff is disgusting. (Wheat Bix for life! LOVE IT!) I think the word you are wondering about is a crinoline. I actually never new that word until I looked it up on WordPerfect my friendly friend. YEY FOR LEARNING NEW WORDS ( ido ever' day)!

**Tanin (Taniis):** HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NOT THE AXE! Actually, we both came to the agreement that axes rule long ago! AXES ALL THE WAY! BAGEL FAIRIES RULE! I met one when I was reviewing someone else's story and I was all like YEY FOR ZE BAGEL FAIRY! AH! NO CUTTING UP INTO PIECES! hehehehehehhehehehe.

**Akwyn:** HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! YOU CALLED _ME _PREDICTABLE! OF ALL PEOPLE! ME? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! That makes me funny since I have been dubbed one of the most random people in my school! I am glad that the story was entertaining, but I must say NANANA NANA NA to the 'predictable' part! Just Kidding. I'm sorry, I am being stupid! DON'T HATE ME! I shall calm down now. I hope that I have not offended! I don't like to offend people unless they are REALLY annoying or mean, like this one kid in my math class, REAL jerk! ANYWAY! THANKS FOR READING IT! HOPE YOU LIKED THIS CHAP AND HOPE THAT YOU DO NOT THROW ROCKS AT ME! YEY FOR THOU! (Sorry)

**Lulai:** YEY FOR THOU! ((Hugs computer)) I read "Lulai" and it makes me happy! I really love your stories incredibly much! So it makes me happy that such a genius likes my story! YEY!

**Laurashrub:** Wouldn't that be HORRIBLE if Elora died? My sister would probably kill me (figure out whether it's because I posted the fact that her friend died or because she would hate me for ruining the story!) I AM MEAN AIN'T I? I REALLY SHOULD BE HUNG OR SOMETHING! Or at least _sometimes _I should be hung! Thank you for reading!


	7. Laughter Leads to Interesting Things

I entered the guest room, still chuckling, when I saw Zou Zou sitting on the bed. She had her eyebrow lifted in confusion, which just made me laugh even more.

"I was going to ask what was so funny," Zou Zou started, "But you obviously don't have enough air in your lungs to tell me," she smiled, "Now let's get you out of these clothes and into some rags!" I took a deep breath and looked at the wool dress she had laid out on the bed, it looked really itchy and probably more itchy than my gown.

"Actually, Zou Zou, I have been ordered going to the party," I told her. Zou Zou looked surprised.

"Since when?" I started laughing at this and spoke the thought that was causing me to hold my stomach again.

"Since Malyda has decided that her title must come before the very special tailor," I laughed. It wasn't even that funny anymore, but it was just driving me nuts! I loved watching the twisted twins mess up like that, especially since they were so perfect... most of the time. Zou Zou just stood there looking at me, her eyes wide. She looked a little scared. I laughed and laughed, for no reason at all. It felt so good that I couldn't help it. Each chuckle just seemed to make me feel so bubbly that I just needed more. My stomach was hurting so much now, but that even felt welcoming. I finally took a deep breath to release from the insanity, but when I looked at Zou Zou who sat staring at me in wonder, I started up again. Before I could go much longer though, I fell to my side and landed on my back, hitting my head on the floor. I didn't care that much though, I was going insane! I rolled on the floor in a bundle, my crinoline up in the air, my hair coming undone, and laughed like ten lunatics put into one crazy body. Zou Zou was laughing now too.

"You... fell... on the floor!" she said, "Ha ha ha! Look... at you! You're... crazy!"

"You're... nuts... too!" I responded. We laughed and laughed, for I don't know how long. Zou Zou ended up falling off the bed and pounding a fist on the floor. I just kept rolling all over the floor, my hair falling apart. I then heard someone cough. I didn't bother to notice it. I then heard it again, so this time, I sighed and looked up at the imposters face. Oh great! I grabbed the drawer next to me, pulled myself to my feet, and curtsied.

"Forgive me for disturbing you as you... retrieved your gloves," said the prince, "But I thought that you may appreciate knowing that everyone in the ball room can hear you." Zou Zou snickered at this as she curtsied. I would have blushed right now if it weren't for the fact that I am unable to blush. The prince, on the other hand, turned a light pink, he did just see my _undergarments _after all! I, against my own will, chuckled again.

"Oh yes... thank you for informing me, your highness," I really didn't know what to say. This was a very awkward, and hilarious, moment. I went to the bed to grab my gloves but Zou Zou already had them for me, a sly smile on her face. I put them on and before I turned around, Zou Zou quickly fixed my hair, running her fingers through it and pinning up with some swift motions of her hands. I then turned to the prince and curtsied again, hesitantly though, as I was not sure on whether this was the right time to curtsy or not. The prince smiled and held out his arm.

"Now that I am here, may I escort you back to the ball room?" he asked.

"Of course, you highness," I replied. What was I supposed to say? "I'm sorry, I think that I am too crazy to be escorted anywhere except to an insane asylum"? Actually, that might work, except for the fact that he would most likely send me to a loony bin if I brought it up. I heard the prince laugh softly and I realized that I had a dumb expression on my face. I wiped it off and turned to find him looking at me.

"What's so funny?" I heard myself say. It probably was not the best thing to say to your prince, but he actually didn't seem too wrathful-prince-like about it. As a matter of fact, he just laughed more.

"Just you," he replied, shaking his head. I looked at his face and found myself settling on his hair. It was such an odd light brown, not able to be considered blond, but just barely brown. That hair seemed distinct in my mind. It reminded me of something, but I didn't know what. My head hurt slightly and I thought on another things. Hey! He was my height! That made me feel better. I've had too many experiences where I have been taller than some guys and I was taunted for it. At least I won't look entirely too tall against the prince. We reached the stairs to the hallway then (not the ball room stairs, I may have had a heart attack if I had to do that again), and we both immediately decided to take it slow. I could tell that the prince understood that stairs do not... agree with me. Despite our slow pace, before we reached halfway, I stepped on my skirt and tumbled forward. I squeaked like a terrified mouse and I grabbed onto the princes arm tight. He pulled me back up right, his hand about my waist.

"Thank you," I smiled.

"Your very welcome," he replied.

"You may let go of my waist now," I said, raising my eyebrow, both confused and amused.

"Oh, yes, sorry," the prince blurted out, dropping his hands.

"I would appreciate it if you lent me your arm to assist me the rest of the way down the stairs," I reminded. The prince looked at me blankly for a moment and then nodded in embarrassment.

"Oh, of course, my apologies," he mumbled, holding out his arm. I was about to take it when I realized that there were only three more steps left.

"Never mind," I sighed, lifted my skirt a bit, grabbed my slippers and leapt forward. I landed solidly on the floor of the hallway, having done this enough to do it rather gracefully. I slipped my slippers on and then looked up to see the prince staring down at me with his mouth gaping and his eyes all bugged out. He looked like he could be a frog. Ha! He's a frog prince! I smiled deviously and put a stray strand of hair behind my ear.

"Well," I began, "Are you coming or are you going to just stand there looking like a frog?" I said. He seemed a little taken aback by the comment, but recovered and started laughing. I've decided that I like terrifying the prince! He has a good enough sense of humor to deal with it. I listened to him laugh. His laugh was a great one, it made me feel like... like... he had never had a better time before now and it was all because of me. Where have I felt like that before? Could it be? No. It couldn't. Things just don't work like that. I shook my head as the prince walked down the stairs.

"I'm coming," he said as he stepped next to me. He then held out his arm and I took it.

"Thank you, your highness,"

"May I ask something of you?" the prince asked.

"Of course,"

"Will you call me Jon?" he requested. I actually wasn't sure if I wanted to be so informal. He s the prince, after all.

"Can I refuse?" I asked him.

"Of course, but I would prefer it if you wouldn't." I thought about this for a moment.

"What if I called you Prince Jon or Jonaldo?" I questioned. The prince shuddered next to me.

"Those are worse than calling me highness," he told me. I thought some more. Why would those be worse? I'm confused.

"How about this," I offered, "I will call you Jon when I think it's appropriate, but other than that you are 'highness'?"

"That sounds fair," he consented. We walked in silence for a moment, we were approaching Christo and Gebby when the prince- I mean- Jon stopped.

"Isn't there anything you would wish of me? Any names or such? Ella or Lora or something?" he asked. I gave him an "Are you kidding me?" look.

"I guess you may leave out the 'Lady' part sometimes, but other than that, I'm Elora," I told him in a slightly harsh voice. The twisted twins liked to call me "Smelly Elli" or "Poor Elora" or, the one I hated worst because it was so stupidly sarcastic, "Bella Ella".

"Oh, okay," Jon replied. We started walking again when I noticed that there seemed to be something eating away at him.

"Is there something else you wish to say?" I inquired. He looked at me, and I looked at his hazel eyes.

"Well, I was wondering if I might have the honor of dancing with you once we reach the ball," he asked. Oh no!

"You might not want to do that," I contradicted. I know it sounds a little harsh, but I was just warning him.

"But I do," Jon insisted, sounding a little hurt. This man is crazy.

"Fine," I said, "I'll dance with you,"

"I'm glad to here it."You won't be soon. As we entered the ball room, Gebby and Christo gave me odd looks. I guess they didn't expect to see me with the prince. I smiled to them both and then looked ahead at what I would be facing. The ball rooms center was filled with men and women dancing speedily and gracefully about. Silks and velvets swirled around into a world f color, moving accordingly to the music. When the jumpy, joyful music ended, the ladies curtsied and the gentlemen bowed and then they went separate ways to find another partner to fly with.

"Lady Elora," the prince, as I was now to think of himsince we were in public, said with a kind smile. I turned to him to see him in a bowed position, one hand behind his back and one extended to me.

" Your highness," I said back to him, though my smile was forced. I curtsied the best that I could (which was not very well), and took his hand. He then took me out to the ball room floor. I put my hand on his should and the other in his hand, that being the only thing about dancing that I actually learned. After a few silent moments, the orchestra began. I expected to move, but realized that it was just an introduction to show people what song it was. I waited and saw the prince stillsmilingat me. I heard the final notes of the intro. I swallowed, suddenly feeling my throat was incredibly dry.

Oh my, this is going to be... interesting.

* * *

A/N: Okay, so I said that I would take a break after this one but I think that I won't take a very long break since I am getting to the super fun parts. Sorry that this is such a short chapter, I just wrote this and decided to give you all a Valentine's Day present! So HERE! Anyway, hope this one was not TOO crazy or overly awkward! I will also be going over the other chapters to make any small corrections I need to. One of the **_MAJOR_** MISTAKES from last chapter (which I am VERY sorry about) is that I called the prince "majesty" and the King "highness" when it should be the other way around! SORRY! I hope that it didn't look too stupid! I will correct that.

**laurashrub** the wonderful shrubby... laura? (hehe)_ Slightly_ evil? Muahahahaha. No, you're right, I am not REALLY evil, but I CAN BE! muahahahahhahahaha! Wouldn't it be cool if there really WAS a tailor like that? "Have a cold? Fever? Thinking of taking Tylenol, Sudefed or any of those other outrageous products! Don't get sucked in to those foolish medecines! Get a new gown! Not only will you feel great, you'll look great too!" hehehehehehhehehe.

**PLEA FOR MERCY: DO NOT SUE ME TYLENOL OR SUDEFED! I DIDN'T MEAN ANY HARM AND I DON'T THINK I EVEN SPELLED YOUR NAMES RIGHT SO PLEASE DON'T SUE! **

Thankyou for reviewing laurashrub!

**Akwyn** the loyal rock throwing fiend: THANK YOU FOR PUTTING THE ROCKS DOWN! Thankyou! Thankyou! Thankyou! hehehehhehehe. ONE MORE CHAPTER IN _TOTAL_? I may be evil sometimes, but not THAT evil! HEHE! NOW YOU DON'T GET THE ROCKS OUT! YEY! CHOCOLATE? mmmmmmmm... thank you for reminding me my random friend! chocolate... munch munch mmmm. I know it would be tacky if it were Cloak, that's why it wasn't! AND YOUR WELCOME! AND THANK _YOU _for reminding me of chocolate and for reading and reviewing!

**Taniis**/Tanin my axe stalker friend: AH! HOW DID YOU GET THAT FEELING? IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE MY FREAKY SURPRISE! oh well, never mind. I updated this fast a lot because of that shiny axe you like to shine in my face! AH! AH! ... AH! Hahahha, you died and came back! YOU ARTIST! sure! I love to join! I actually was also able to get back to writing because I already painted that fish for my friend (it was soooo much fun! The paint was all squishy in my toes) THAT WOULD ROCK! YEY! ME JOIN! ME JOIN! Dragons all ze way! I looooove Bagel fairies! they awesome! Jonaldo is pretty cool, he needs to relax more though. About Sir Gratanon... oh wait... you said no telling... oh well! You'll find out! AH! WITH THE AXE! YES you stuck! hehehehehhehehehe. AH! running away now. Wait, have to respond to others.

**Sirenic Griffin** the Southern-Hemisphere awesomeness! OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH! Makes sense. Heheheheheh. School stinky. Wate's sauce (if I am spelling it right) is this disgusting sauce that is like the worst tomato juice mixed with the most disgusting ketchup to create a liquid mass of disgusting stuff! New Zealand is pretty! I liked it there. But now I no there no more :(. Weet-Bix DOES rule (sorry for spelling it wrong earlier, I've been away from it for too long, now I have Weetabix! Which is also YUM!) I HATE it when people say it's gross. It's NOT! NOT NOT NOT! glad you liked it! I love the element of surprise! YEY!

**panemonium** the coolness reader of Madland: so far, my break is not very long. So don't freak out! I think I am addicted to writing! I'M HAPPY THAT YOU LIKE IT! (faints) WAIT I don't faint (gets back up) SEE WHAT YOU DID TO ME! AH! I FAINTED! okay, I'm a bit crazy. YEY FOR THOU! THANKS FOR READING AND I HOPE THAT YOU DO NOT COLLECT THE INSANITY FROM ME! OR ZOU ZOU! OR ELORA! OR THE PRINCE IN THAT MATTER (he's pretty nuts, he just has to admit it)! GOOD TIDINGS AND HUZZAHS ALL THE WAY!

**_Arandomreader_**... a random reader! Hello random reader! HELLO! Thank you for reading! Glad you like it! YEY!

**Lulai** the incredible: I have said this a zillion or so times, but I loooove your story! Trickiness rocks! I don't do it a lot so I figured I would do it now. You could write the story! I bet it would be great! ... but I do have some mighty plans for the story! MANY MIGHTY PLANS! MUAHAHAHHAHA! HEHEHEHEHE! No worries, painting can be really annoying, you have this vision in your head and then you try to get it down on to a canvas and it doesn't work and you feel like punching the canvas through (good thing that I use paper and hard painters board things forgot the name, canvas too expensive!) HEY! KINDERGARDENERS ARE MORE SRTISTICALLY TALENTED THAN YOU THINK! people always underestimating those lil' kiddies. What I mean is that you are probably A LOT more talented than you give yourself credit for! CHEERS FOR THOU!

**Miss Piratess** the magnificent writer of a grand story! and a grand person too: Yeah, I was always confused on why Cinderella's father wouldn't have all the stuff go to a blood relative rather than to someone who hasn't bore him any children, so I did the door step thing! My writing? Pretty? HAHAHAHAHA! My writing has to be the most RANDOM thing EVER! It's messed up funny how messed it sounds sometimes! HEHEHEHE! Thanks for the compliment though (I'm just thinking of your lovely story and then being all, wow! Reaaaally? I'm gonna shut up now, I'm sounding idiotic) cough cough anyway, THEME SONG! HAHA! plays Hunter theme song yey! Theme songs are cool! Zou Zou? ADORABLE? try living with her! I feel slightly bad for Elora. Hehe. No, I do love her, but she can be a pain sometimes, or at least she can to me. But I still love her dearly. Yeah, I was like. WHY DOES CINDERELLA HAVE TO BE THIS DROP DEAD GORGEOUS MODEL? so I changed that! Yey! Glad you like it that way too. I like Ella Enchanted! It does have a slight Ella Enchanted feel doesn't it? I would actually prefer if it didn't though, I like Ella Enchanted, but I like uniqueness a little more! But oh well! YEY! MARRY THE TAILOR! He is pretty cool isn't he? People seemed to have liked him a lot. I might bring him back... but I am not sure yet, still have the story plot all messy in my mind. What are the five kinds of cool? Well, I'm glad that Zou Zou looks cool mumble mumble... lil' sisters looking better than you... mumble mumble. ANY WHO! Hahahahhaha. TWISTINESS ALL ZE WAY! Thank you for the reviews! UPDATE NEV SOON! wow, this is a long review response.

Now that I have taken up a whole page with reviews. I shall wish you all HAPPY VALENTINES DAY AND A MERRY NEW... SOMETHING! that didn't even make sense, but oh well...

Much insanity

Mia


	8. Dancing Shouldn't Be Painful

"You might want to know that I can't dance very well," I warned him, under exaggerating immensely.

"I'm sure you are fine," the prince assured me, I raised my eyebrow, "Don't worry, I am a pretty good lead anyway,"

The intro ended and we were off. I noticed everyone was in a line, men on one side girls on the other. The girls were led backwards, as was I, but my backwards was more messy than the others.

"Ow," the prince mumbled.

"I'm sorry," I said, looking sympathetically at him. I really am sorry!

"It's okay," he smiled. He led me forward, he going backwards now.

"Ow," he mumbled a little louder.

"So sorry,"

"It's okay." Backwards. "Ow."

"Sorry!"

"I'm fine," Oh no, he was losing patience. The music became more jumpy and the prince twirled me quickly.

"Ow!" he exclaimed as I smacked him with my swinging free arm.

"I'm really sorry!" I told him. The music got even higher and he lead me forwards quickly. He then bowed and I curtsied, copying what the other girls where doing. I then saw how everyone switched to new partners, bowing and curtsying again , while I was just standing all alone. I was then linked by the arm with another man. I looked up to see who it was and saw that it was Sir Gratanon. A man stood behind him, looking rather confused and then walked away. That was odd, but I shrugged it off and decided to watch my steps.

"Lovely to see you again, Lady Elora," Sir Gratanon said as we circled about like everyone else. He was smiling that barbarous smile from before. I smiled as we circled about the other way.

"And I you, Sir Gratanon," I replied. He then grabbed my waist and hand and I put my other hand on his shoulder. I was tripping about a bit, but... I wasn't stepping on his feet! I looked down as we moved forward and watched in amazement at how Sir Gratanon's feet seemed to dodge my wild feet. I was pretty sure that if I purposely tried to step on his feet that he could dodge it, but before I had the chance to test it, Sir Gratanon spun me around, and this time I did not swing my arm. He then bowed and I curtsied and I turned to find the prince bowing to me as I curtsied.

"Hello again," the prince said as we linked arms and circled about, "Ow!" he yelped when I stepped on his foot again.

"I'm soooo sorry!" I apologized as we headed forward.

"Really, it's okay" He assured, but I could tell he was frustrated about it. Suddenly, a fat man, who obviously wasn't a good dancer himself either, bumped hard into me and sent me flying into the prince's arms, sending him flying to the ground, hitting his head on a near by table.

"YOW!" he yelled, holding his head afterwards. I felt horrible! For the prince, for the bump he would soon have, and for me because of all the people who were looking at us and giggling at my horrible dancing skills.

"I'm terribly sorry!" I blurted out helping him to his feet, "I'm just going to leave before I break anything or anyone," I added, making my way to the exit that lay on the other side of the room.

"Elora!" I heard the prince behind me. What did I say about the name thing? He was only supposed to call me Elora when there wasn't a massive crowd around!

"Wait!" I heard him call, footsteps following after me. I kept moving not waiting for him like he said. I was too embarrassed to face him again.

"Your highness! Are you all right? I saw what happened! That's horrible!" I heard the ever so distinct voice of one of the twins, probably Claira, it had the airy quality. That would hold him. Maybe I could escape. When I reached the door though, I was blocked by Zou Zou.

"Where are you going?" she asked me. Again with the demanding thirteen-year-old.

"I'm leaving before I do any more damage," I told her. She raised her eyebrow. I looked to Christo and Gebby who just looked at me like "Sorry, we're on her side". Ugh! Zou Zou was such a persuasive little devil. The servants had warmed up to her instantly and now she had them pretty much on her side on anything. Right now, Zou Zou just leaned against the door, positioning herself so that her, Gebby, and Christo blocked the way.

"No you're not. This is a party and I am not having you work in the kitchen while you can be out their eating the food I make and having a blast!" she ordered.

"But-" I started.

"No buts!" she demanded, "You're going to stay and have fun or I'm gonna be kicking the one butt that you have!" she threatened, "Now go!" I sighed, and turned back to the crowd.

I made my way to the other side of the room and found an area by the stairs that nobody would look at. I just sat and watched all the people, occasionally seeing the prince dancing with some young lady or sometimes with the twins. When the twins weren't looking as he danced with either of them, I could see the prince let out an expression that practically was screaming for someone to either kill Klara and Claira, or kill him, now! I would laugh at this. Sometimes I would see Malyda talking with various people in the room, I saw her talking a lot with Sir Gratanon. I always felt something disturbing about him, something that made me shift about so much that I felt like my dress would wear through. I also focused my attentions on everyone else, trying to make note of the proper things to do in ball situations, but I forgot them all before you could curtsy and say "Good day"! Other than watching people from my little secretive corner, I would come out for a bit and get some food from a passing waiter. Some of the food made me feel like I had died and gone to heaven, and heaven was in my mouth! Other food, even when it looked like it would be yummy, made me want to bite my tongue off and spit it out and then never close my mouth again just to be sure that I wouldn't swallow that disgusting stuff! In general, the whole experience was very boring. I mean, it ain't a lot of fun to just sit, and sit, and watch, and eat, and sit, and eat, and watch, and watch, and sit, and eat, and eat, and squirm, and itch my shoulders, and see how long I can hold my breath (fifty-two seconds), and watch, and eat, and tap my fingers, and sit- well, you get the point! So, I decided to get some air, because at least breathing was doing something. I walked across to the other side of the ball room and started out onto the terrace.

"Lenore, I love you and I always have," I heard from the corner of the terrace.

"Oh, Al! I love you too!" Oops! Some people are having a moment! I tried to step back quietly as I heard the two starting to kiss, but I have no such luck since my foot smacked against the wall. The two lovers emerged from the terrace, looking at me in shock.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude. I'll just be on my way," I blurted in a muddled hurry. The girl's cheeks and the man's ears turned red.

"No, we should be going too," the yong lady said.

"No," I insisted, "I didn't mean to ruin anything."

"No! It's okay, we'll go." And with out giving me any time to say more, the couple left.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to stay here anymore, but then again leaving would mean that I just interrupted an intense moment for nothing. I approached the rail that lined the terrace and leaned against it. It was actually really nice out here. It was cold, but after being in a room filled with sweaty people all over the place, it was refreshing. I just stood in silence, watching the sky which was black, the moon brightly lighting the cloudy sky around it.

"Tree," I heard. I looked around. Is Cloak here? It would be nice to have someone who wasn't a rich snob to be around.

"Cloak?" I called. There was no response. I sighed. Great, now I was hearing things. I shivered a bit, it was getting cold. I turned around to go back inside the mass of silks and jumpy music.

"I thought I wouldn't find you," I heard. I jumped. All I saw was a dark shadow in front of me, the light coming from the ball room forcing me to only see the outline of the person before me. Cloak? Was that him?

A/N: I know it's short, and kind of cliff-hangery, but I just wanted to get it up. Um... I'm gonna have trouble updating fast this week because I'm busy, but I will try to upload with in the next two weeks (I can't make any promises, especially since I need to upload my other poor neglected story, but I'll try).

**Taniny-niisy! (I mean Taniis)**: YEYEYEYEY! ART! I have painted some more so I am happy! My painting actually didn't go as well as planned, but isn't that always the case! YEYEYEYEY FOR ART! AXE! AH! Hehehehehe. Obviousness is BORING! Me no be that! NO NO NO! HOMEWORK! AH! (hides) AH! Great, now I have to go do mine! Was this a cool song? I think the "evil song" to you was a waltz, right? Yeah, ppl use that dance WAAAAY to much for my liking, SO I made up a dance! YEYS TO THOU! HOPE YOU LIKED IT!

**panemonium:** heheheehe. You shall soon find out, you shall soon find out! Heh heh heh heh heh! AH! I NEED RE-HAB FOR MY WRITING ADDICTION! I REALLY _REALLY_ DO! Insanity IS fun on it's own, but I think that in truth I have intoxicated my insanity into this story (its like a radioactive leak!) Glad you liked the present! Hope you liked this present ('tis a present for Happy Day Day which is celebrated every day that it is a day! Hehe)!

**laurashrub:** GIGGLES MAKE THE WORLD GO ROUND! or at least make it jiggle a lot (seriously, when I giggle, it feels like the whole earth is shaking!) HEY! JIGGLE AND GIGGLE RHYME! hehehehehe! Hmmmm. Does your family live in Wisconsin by any chance? Hehehehehe, or maybe I am just a crazy psychic person! hehehehe. AH! OH NO! I'LL SAVE YOU FROM THE EVIL MEN IN WHITE COATS ( they come after me too!) heheheheh!

**Akwyn:** HAHAHAHAHA! Cracking up IS fun, head aches... not so much! HERE! IBUPROFEN FOR THOU! heheheheheh. Grammar ain't my thing at ALL! I'm WORSE at spelling! It drives my bonkers! Seriously, I SUCK MONKEYS at it! Thanks for the help, I'll go correct those when it ain't 1:01 am! HOPE I DIDN'T DO AS TERRIBLE A JOB IN THIS ONE!

**Lulai:** It's okay, you still update SUPER fast! I have just had a lot of spare time recently, not so much during this upcoming week, but still a little bit. Besides, your story is WONDERFUL and you were smart in only having one story at a time, because I feel really bad about the Anthea story ( I am actually almost done with a new chap, but it might take a while for me to get back on the computer!) So, YOU STILL ROCK LIKE BIRKEN STOCKS AND SHINY ROCKS AND AWESOME SOCKS... AND MITTENS! (It's a saying that me and my sis like to use sometimes, yes, we are crazy) Glad you liked the last chap! AND YES! SEXUAL TENSION IS ALWAYS GRAND! HE HE!

**Miss Piratess:** Elora is quite awkward, she doesn't have this whole lady like thing figured out quite yet. THEME SONGS ALL THE WAY! plays Hunter theme song YEY FOR THOU! LOVE YOUR STORY! UPDATE SOON! Hope you liked this chap!


	9. Names

The figure moved slightly and I saw the strangers face, revealing him as being no stranger at all. I curtsied lightly.

"Your highness," I said. The prince's eyebrow quirked in a way that showed he was annoyed.

"Did we not discuss the whole name thing earlier? You are to call me Jon," he said.

"I'm sorry, your highness," I said, emphasizing "highness", "But if I remember correctly, we agreed that I would only call you Jon when it was appropriate," I could see the prince opening his mouth, "We _also_ agreed," I cut in, "That you would only call me Elora when there wasn't a mass of people around that have mouths to make up all sorts of stories. You, your highness, have broken that rule. So, since you could not keep your side of the bargain, I'm not going to keep mine, your highness,"

"When did I break the rule?" the prince asked.

"When I was walking away from the dance floor. You screamed my name! Or do you not remember, highness?" I told him. He ran a hand through his hair.

"Look, I'm sorry for that, but can you please not call me 'Highness'?" he requested.

"Fine," I said, the prince seemed to relax his shoulders, but then I added, with a smile, "Prince Jonaldo." The prince's shoulders shot up again.

"That's even worse than 'your highness'!" he told me.

"Then would you prefer me to go back to 'your highness', your highness?"I smiled maliciously. I was having a very fun time.

"No!" he yelped, "Just please call me Jon!" he pleaded.

"No," I said.

"Please?"

"No,"

"Just for now?"

"No,"

"I'm not even asking that much,"

"No,"

"Oh, come on!"

"No,"

"I'll do anything you want." I stopped and thought at this.

"Go into the middle of the ball room, get on your hands and knees, and act like a dog for... at least fifteen seconds," I told him. I know, not very original, but I couldn't help it, it would be funny if he did it, which he won't of course. His eyes widened in shock. He stood there for several moments, thinking. Then he sighed, shook his head, and left. Ha! He wouldn't do it! I knew that he wouldn-

"ARF rough ARF!" Oh... my... god. I ran into the ball room to find the prince in the middle of the ball room where all had stopped dancing to stare.

"Bark ARF rough!" He saw me, gave a dog like smile, and came over to me with his tongue hanging out. I looked around, every one was staring.

"Arooo!" he whined, "Arooo!" I could tell he was asking me "Please, call me Jon!" I looked down at him, my face struck with amazement and surprise. I looked around at the wondering audience, and then looked back down at the prince's puppylike face, his tongue still hanging out as he panted. I laughed. Jon's face turned incredibly hopeful.

"Arooo?" he asked. I laughed even more.

"Fine! Fine!" I gave in, "You can get up now! I'll call you Jon! Just get up!" I laughed.

"Finally," Jon said, also laughing, as he stood up. We looked about. The Orchestra had stopped playing, the sound of secrets replacing it. Mumbles and whispers went from ear to ear, replacing any dancing. Our laughter died down. Even if it was funny, it seemed like we had both been put in a cage for visitors to look at.

"Jonaldo!" the King yelled as he approached us.

I curtsied lightly, mumbling a small and scared, "Your majesty".

"What in the world was that about?" the King demanded of Jon.

"Father, well you see-" Jon started. The king swung on me, his eyes seemed to flicker with pain but just turned to anger.

"I bet you were the cause of this," the king accused. Well, technically I was. I opened my mouth to reply, but Jon cut in.

"Father, it was not on any part the fault of Lady Elora. My actions are my own," Jon explained. I looked at him. His face seemed hurt, but ready for any consequences. He really put himself out there.

"Very true, boy," the king said angrily as he turned to a servant, "Go fetch our coats! We shall be leaving presently," he ordered. Sir Gratanon came.

"Are we leaving, your majesty?" Sir Gratanon said.

"Yes, Arturus. Go find a servant to fetch your coat and have someone else call up are carriage. I do not want to stay longer than necessary," the king told him. Sir Gratanon nodded and then turned to me. He gave me the horrible look he has again.

"It was lovely to meet you Lady Elora. I hope to see you again," he said in his creepy voice. I suppressed a shiver and gave a slight sigh as he left. Lady Malyda and the twins ran up to us and curtsied.

"Your majesty, are you leaving us so soon?" Lady Malyda asked.

"It is not too soon," said the king, "Besides, the prince and I will need to have a talk and it is not fit to stay where we can make more of a scandal,"

"There has been no scandal at all," Lady Malyda insisted, "Truly, it would be such a shame for you to depart,"

"And I hope that I am not offending for doing so," the king said, "Now, we must be on our way," the king added as the servant arrived with the coats, "It was a lovely party, Lady Aimon, I very much enjoyed myself. Happy Birthday to both of you, Lady Klara and Lady Claira. I hope you enjoy the rest of the evening." The king took his coat, which was actually more of a cape.

"Say good evening to the ladies, Jonaldo," the King ordered, his voice cold and stiff.

"Good night to you, Lady Aimon, Lady Klara, Lady Claira," Jon said, nodding to them, " Lovely to meet you, Lady Elora," he added, nodding to me and looking me in the eye.

"Good night, your highness," the steps said in unison as they curtsied.

"Good night," I managed to get out, making a stiff curtsy. Jon then grabbed his coat and swung it around his shoulders and started walking away.

"Why do you even wear that rag, Jonaldo? It's quite improper for a prince to wear such a thing," I heard the king say. I watched Jon as he left. I just looked at his light brown hair that hung over his coat... well, it wasn't really a coat, it was long and had a hood... so it was more of a... more of a...

"Cloak," I gasped softly, but it was loud enough fo those around me to hear, and most importantly, Cloak- I mean, Prince Jonaldo to hear me. The prince's shoulders tightened as he swung around to me. I just stood there, staring at him in hurt shock. His expression became pleading. It was him! He was Cloak! Oh no, this wasn't good.

"Elora, please," he said. I shook my head as I turned around to run past the crowd.

"Tree! Elora!" I heard.

"Jonaldo, leave her. She has done enough already. Come with me Jonaldo!" The king demanded.

I ran through the ball room. At the door, I bent down and grabbed my slippers, and ran down the rest of the hall, Christo and Gebby both giving me odd looks. I ran up the stairs, down the hall again, and climbed up the ladder that stood at the end of the hall to my room in the attic. The moment I was on my feet, I hurled myself onto the mattress that sat on the floor, not caring that by doing so, I ripped my gown and hit my legs hard against the crinoline, not to mention, got the wind knocked out of me by the corset. I just grabbed a pillow and squeezed it, not crying, nor screaming, just lying in disbelief. I can't believe it! I simply can't believe it!

A/N: AH! ANOTHER CHAPTER. No review response because I GTG NOW!


	10. Pillows and Dough

After several moments of squeezing the pillow, I sat up and gave it a hard punch. Why in the world does this have to happen to me? Punch. I mean, if you just happen to be the prince, you have to tell people! Punch. Like, couldn't he just say it? Punch. Just a little note like, "Lovely to meet you and by the way, I'm the prince!" Punch. It's not like I treated him much differently when I knew him only as the prince! Punch. Maybe I treated him a little different, but not much! Punch. Why couldn't he just bloody say something! Punch punch punch punch punch punch punch.

My pillow exploded then. A mass of feathers floating all over the place. I twisted my body and fell into my mattress again, watching the feathers swirl around me like snow. I took a deep breath and as I exhaled I let out a "Ha!" Why was I even so worked up about this any way? I knew him for like what? A little over four weeks? (A/N: I'm changing the time for the convenience of the story, I know I said one week before, seriously, how are you supposed to get a ball ready in such short a time?) It pissed me off that someone, my own prince at that, would do this, but it wasn't so bad. At least I still have Zou Zou!

"Hey there Elora," Zou Zou said, poking her head out of the hole to my room. How did she know?

"Hello Zou Zou," I replied, sitting up.

"I saw you running down the hall, what's wrong?"

"Bleh," I said. It was the only thing I could use to describe the situation.

"You want to talk about bleh?" Zou Zou asked.

"Meh," I said. Zou Zou came up and sat on the mattress next to me.

"So, what's happened within the last two hours I saw you?"

"Bleh," I answered.

"I know that part," Zou Zou giggled, but in a sympathetic way, "How about filling me in on the rest?"

"Mokey dokey," I answered. I felt like such a baby as I told her everything. Zou Zou would help me fill in words sometimes or help me define something. I was so pathetic, feathers in my tangled hair, my dress ripped, sitting in a dirty attic on a lumpy mattress.

"So what do you think?" I asked Zou Zou when I was done.

"I think you need to stop talking to mysterious cloaked figures," she smiled. I gave a soft laugh and then raised an eyebrow for a true response. Zou Zou sighed, "I think that you need to give yourself a day to think about it all. I think that you should ask yourself why you truly are angry because it seems you are just worried that he's a prince, even if you claim to act normally around him. I also think that you should talk to him eventually. You are only one side of the story." I looked at her with my mouth open wide as Zou Zou told me these things. Zou Zou laughed at my expression and laughed.

"You look so funny right now!" Zou Zou exclaimed. She then copied my expression, mouth open and eyes all googly in an exaggerated way. I laughed and she laughed too.

"Thanks Zou Zou," I answered.

"No problem," she said, "Hey!" she added, "There is some dough I made for cookies for the ball that is ready to be put in the oven! You want to help?" I nodded my head, not as enthusiastically as I would of pre-cloak/prince incident, but eager all the same.

"Then lets get you out of these clothes and go!" Zou Zou said. Zou Zou got me out of the dress and I put on some pants and a shirt my father used to have. We slid down the ladder and tip toed out way to the kitchen where we started making up songs about cookies.

"Oooooooooooooooh DOUGH!

It is yummy!

It makes cookies!

That are good!" We sang as we baked another batch of the fancy cookies and ate the left over dough. It was our favorite song simply because it didn't really rhyme. I licked my fingers when Adita, the head cook, came in.

"Girls, all the visitors are gone now and Zou Zou you are needed in the ball room to help clean up. Elora, Miss Malyda has ordered you to meet her in the ball room," Adita said somberly, "She doesn't look very happy," she added. I swallowed as Adita left. Zou Zou gave me a hug.

"Are you gonna be okay?" she asked. I just nodded.

"I'll be there afterwards. Be careful," she wished me as she walked away. It had never happened so far during the time Zou Zou had been here, but she knew as well as I what this meant. After Zou Zou had left, I took a deep breath and headed down the small corridor turned into the hallway and stood at the closed doors of the dining room. I knocked on the doors softly.

"Who is it?" Malyda called, her voice low and cold.

"Um... it's Elora," I got out, making my voice as confident as I could.

"Come in," Malyda said, her voice colder than before. I closed my eyes and searched for a bit of strength. I found it in my fathers voice, like I always did.

"Elora, you take care of this place for me," I heard my father say. I started to open the door, but stopped. I wasn't ready yet. This had never happened before. I was about to imagine my father again for more strength, but I found some new words pop up in my head.

"I think I'm actually having fun with you," Cloak's voice sounded in my head. I laughed lightly and opened the door to where Malyda was sitting, her eyes filled with hate.

"You didn't think you could actually get away with this did you?"

* * *

Zou Zou's note: hi all! mia is out right now, so i, beingher perfect, obediant, beautiful, charming, loving, and don't forget, very talented sister, am posting her story up for you to read!aren't i wonderful! i'm not? oh... excuse me as i go intothe corner and weep for a minute.

...just kidding!

well, thank you everybodythat hasreveiwed"A Tale of a Love"! i would love to respond to your reviews, but i think i'll leave that job to mia. I'LL SAY HI TO YOU THOUGH! hi Miss Piratess! hi Mellem! hi Akwyn, Taniis, panemonium, laurashrub deep breath, Sienic Griffin, Galasrinial, Arwen Veancawen,and...Lulai ( i loved Cave of Wonders! claps to Cave of Wonders, tears that it's done... or at least it sounded done). (pant... pant) okay... (pant... pant...) i think... (pant... pant...) that is (...pant, slight swearing under breath )...all (passes out).

Zou Zou's spirit's note:

zou zou is currentlypassed outfrom lack of oxygen.but she wants you to know that if she has not said hi to you and you have reviewed this story, she says hi to you in spirit (ha! get it?) good day!


	11. Hurt

Malyda sat across from the table with the long, flat, almost ruler-like stick in front of her. I shivered as I saw it, memories of the many beatings I had received with it before. I had called it the Beat, but that was only when it wasn't inflicting any pain on me, for at that time, there was no name to make me feel less afraid of it. I stood there staring at it as it sat innocently on the table. It was just a piece of wood, but in the hands of Malyda it became much more than that.

"Answer me!" Malyda ordered, smacking her weapon on the table for emphasis. I swallowed, closing my eyes as I put my head to the floor. I bit the side of my lip and fisted my hands as I answered, trying to collect some more strength.

"No," I mumbled, though forcefully enough so my answer was heard. I knew that making such a spectacle as I made in the ballroom would not go well with Malyda, but it was not like I had planned for it to happen. It just... happened. I heard the swift footsteps of Malyda. I held in a cry as Malyda brought down her weapon across my arm.

"Kneel!" she demanded. I knelt hesitantly, knowing what fated me. "Bend forward!" Malyda hissed. I did, undoing my fists and going on all fours. I gasped as I felt the wood hard against my back.

"You have insulted me and my daughters!" she shouted, taking her hate out on me with hard smacks, "I have offered you a home, and you embarrass my family! I trust you with one party, and you make a fool of yourself and moreover make it appear to the dignified ladies and gentlemen that I am a horrible woman for so letting someone so disgraceful stay in my home and live on in such a dishonorable way!" I let out small cried now, still trying to hold in the effect her violence was having on me, not wanting to be weak. She stopped for a moment.

"You are just like your father! Dishonorable, disgraceful, and foolish!" I cried out again, this being a blow to me of it's own kind. I then smiled and looked up at her face, which was smiling at the pain she had just caused me.

"And yet," I mumbled, "Someone so great as you, who could probably choose any man, decided to marry him. Hm, that's something to wonder at." Her face flickered into rage as she smacked my back harder than ever before. I shouted out at this and felt the blood seeping from my back.

"You ungrateful little brat!" Malyda snapped, "I have kept you here when I could have thrown you into the streets and you repay me with to much mouth and to little sense! He was a horrible husband! He went on some foolish adventure only to leave us to clean up his mess!" I cried out with tears in my eyes even before I received the next blow to my back. She took a break for a moment and sat down in a nearby chair next to the dining room table. I didn't have to look up to know she was glaring at my torn body.

"Your father was an inconsiderate, cruel, worthless dreamer!" Malyda snapped. I lifted my head enough to see Malyda. Her face was still the beautiful, flawless piece of perfection it always was, but her frown and her eyes revealed how ugly she really was. She looked such the opposite of the ladylike being she always was. I didn't smile at my next phrase, the curl of my lips was no smile, but a weapon against Malyda. Her eyes widened at the expression on my face.

"You call him all these things, and yet I can't help but notice how much worse you are than the faithless names you call him. A dreamer is always better than a whore," I told her. She shot up at this and flew at me, smacking me even harder than before. I screamed as I crumbled from my bent position and into a sprawled out position on the floor.

"You ingrate! You thankless wretch! You decide to call me trash? Me, while you are the one with out family?" Malyda kept bringing her anger out against me, "You're mother was no doubt just like me, trash on the street, just worthless trash! Except I have something above her, I got out of it! I worked my way through to court, and I made my way to the title and wealth I hold today, while your mother had to leave her own child out on a stranger's steps!" she hit me hard again. My tears flowed out with the rising of the weapon and my screams followed as it came against my back. Eventually, Malyda stopped and jerked me up by the arm like the worn out puppet I was. She dragged me out of the hall where several servants stood, including Zou Zou. All of them had sad concern in their faces, but where all trying to hide it, trying not to anger Malyda. Zou Zou was the only one who wasn't trying to conceal it, several large tears streaming down her face. I saw the twins standing on the stairs with twisted smiles on their faces as Malyda dragged me over to the doors by my wrist like a dying puppy and dropped me to the floor. Malyda stood at the door for a moment. When nothing happened, she turned around.

"Someone open the door!" she screamed, "Or will I have to start firing someone!" she added. After several silent moments, Gebby came forward hesitantly and opened the doors whispering a quiet "I'm sorry". Malyda pulled my wrist, bringing me back up on my feet. She slapped me hard across the face and then pushed me forward into the dark, cold night.

"Good bye, Bella Ella!" Claira called, her airy voice easy to identify.

"Good luck, Poor Elora!" Klara called afterwards, her voice still the same syrupy thickness it always was. Malyda laughed at this and then looked me straight in the eye.

"Once upon a time," Malyda hissed, "There was a foolish man who raised a foolish girl. The girl was a dreamer, and dreamt the man was her father just as he dreamt she was her daughter. But when the bastard went and got himself killed, the idiot child couldn't help but dream of his return. Now she's back on the same door step that she was left on before with no happily ever after in sight just because of her stupid dreaming," Malyda told me, "See where you've gotten yourself Elora? See what a dream can get you? Well, let's see how far you can get when you are nothing but trash on the street with a silly little dream." Malyda gave me one hateful glance before the door closed.

"If anyone tries to help her, I will be sure to have you join her!" I heard Malyda shout. The house was silent. I rested there on the cold steps, shivering from both the cold and what had happened.

I had been kicked out. Malyda had kicked me out of my own home. I started to cry as the realization really hit me, the tears freezing on my face, becoming little round crystals on my cheeks.

"I'm sorry papa," I whispered. I rolled up into a little ball and shivered, not having the strength to get up yet. I don't know how long I was there, just shaking on the steps, but the door eventually opened.

A/N: HI EVERYONE! I'M BACK WRITING MY OWN AFTER NOTES! MISSED ME? I bet you liked Zou Zou better (grumbles). See, I had to go out on a camping trip with my dear friend Cora, and since I couldn't post it myself I gave Zou Zou my password and instructions on how to do it and told her that she can write the after note if she wants to. So she did! I love my sister, she's so funny! Anyway, TIME TO DO THE 70 REVIEW DANCE! THANK YOU ALL SOOOOOOOOO MUCH! I MUST PLAY SOME COOL MUSIC TO DANCE TO!

"You said  
'Why should I believe in somethin'  
I can't see, feel with my fingers yeah,  
Why should I believe?'  
And I said  
'Anytime you think you want to be my love  
That's a reason to do what thinkin' of  
Anytime you think you want to come on over  
Stop askin'  
Get in the car and drive!'"

"Get in the Car and Drive" by Blu Sanders (thank you Cora for getting me the CD!)

I love that song! Couldn't help but play it!

Please don't be mad at me for the crummy treatment Elora has been receiving! It's not my fault, it's Malyda's! SO NO ROCK THROWING!

Much innocence (no rocks!) and happiness (THANK YOU! dances again)

Mia


	12. Trees, Quilts, and Cloaks

"Elora," Zou Zou whispered. I managed to turn over to look up at her face, which was red and wet. She had some bags next to her and a quilt over her shoulder. I may not have had a very well functioning mind at the time, but I wasn't so stupid that I wasn't able to know what she was doing.

"Don't do this Zou Zou," I told her. Zou Zou shook her head and put the quilt over me. I looked down at it, it was the quilt I had seen on her bed. I knew it was special to her. Something from her family.

"I have to, Elora," Zou Zou whispered, "I need to take care of you."

"Why?" I asked. She was four years younger than me and she was still being the best support I had since my father. Why would she do this?

"Because I can," she answered. I could tell she wasn't telling me everything, but I didn't press her.

"Besides," Zou Zou began again, "You can take care of me too." I sighed and started to get up. When I was on my feet, I hugged her.

"Then go back inside Zou Zou," Zou Zou opened her mouth, but I kept going, "You can be no help to me and I can be no help to you if you are stuck out on the streets with me without a job," I explained, "I need someone to watch the house for me," my voice was more steady, but I had tears on my face now, "I'll come back tonight. Okay? I'll pick up some of my things and make a plan with you, but tight now is not a safe time to talk about it. I'll come back and find you in the servants quarters tonight."

"But what if Malyda catches you?" Zou Zou looked like the worried thirteen year old she should be, but at the same time she had this maturity to her.

"She won't," I promised, "And even if she does, what more can she do? Send me on the streets again?" I laughed a bit, and Zou Zou allowed a small smile.

"Go back inside, Zou Zou," I told her again. Zou Zou nodded. And started back in again, when she was inside the house she turned back to me.

"Are you sure?" she asked. I nodded.

"Hey, I still have to give you your birthday present," I smiled. Zou Zou smiled back as well, the same mischievous smile I knew her for. We stood for a moment, like it was the same as it had been this morning, and then she closed the door.

I turned around and looked at the rode before me, and then I turned at looked at the hill leading to the tree. I couldn't see the tree, the night and the small patch of woods on the hill that blocked it made sure of that, but I knew where it was and started walking towards it.

On my way there, I managed to sing and sometimes hum "Where are the good times for me?" a total of six times with long intermissions between each one. I was singing the very last line when I looked up to find my tree and stopped. It wasn't just the tree that stopped my humming and my steps, but something else.

There, hanging off the tree, was the cloak. Its worn, black fabric contrasted with the brightness of the snow and the odd light the tree itself seemed to give. I stepped towards it, stopping short of it by a foot. With a hesitant hand I reached out to touch it. I pulled my hand back. Why? Why didn't he tell me? I remembered the way he had looked when he realized I knew who he was. His face was shocked, scared, sad, and apologetic. I remembered the eagerness in his voice when he was calling me as I ran away. I reached out again, and stopped again. But he's the prince, and I'm not even a servant. I don't have anything. I'm trash on the street, and he's the prince. He's the prince. I stared at what was before me, and remembered his laughter and the way I could tell he was smiling with out seeing his face. I smiled. No, he's not the prince. I reached out again and grabbed what was in front of me off of the bark it clung to, dropping the blanket and bringing it around my shoulders. He's Cloak.

I picked the quilt back up again and wrapped myself in it too. Then I went around to the other side of the tree, climbed up, curled up in the warmth me and my father's tree provided, and went to sleep with Zou Zou's quilt and Jon's cloak to give me warmth too.

* * *

A/N: I know it is a short chapter, but it's a chapter all the same. Um... I predict that in the next two or three chapters, the story will be picking up a lot and there will be many secrets that will either choose to stay silent or burst out in madness! Horrible things to come Elora, Zou Zou, and Jon's way! MUAHAHAHAHAHA! Sorry for not doing review response for a loooong time, but I'm doing it today!

**FOR EVERYONE:** I have noticed that everyone (or at least some people) seems to bring up one very important part of the story: THE COOKIES! YEY FOR COOKIES! Well, I decided to make a cookie story section to answer your (or perhaps create more) questions. Well, the cookies happened to be scrumptious, delectable peanut butter cookies with chocolate chips, and since there was the horrible interruption by the cook telling Zou Zou to clean and Elora to go and have Malyda beat her to a pulp, unfortunately, MOST OF THE COOKIES BURNED! However, two lucky cookies (a girl cookie and boy cookie) on opposite sides of the pan happened to survive and when they saw their companions dead they thought they were the only cookies left in the world! The poor cookies were about to throw themselves into the fire to die with their friends and family when they noticed eachother. It was love at first bite, for the two cookies escaped the oven, got married and had many cookie children for all reviewers to eat! YEY FOR THE COOKIES! EVERYONE HAVE A COOKIE!

**Akwyn:** OH THE PAIN! Everytime I wrote about the Beat, I was always reminded by the long ruler one of my teachers would smack on the desks to get peoples attentions! She was just joking of course (she was one of my favorite teachers too), but it still scared my silly! Well, now that she's kicked out she has to find another job! My friend says she should work at the castle so that she and Jon can make out, but I am skeptical of this idea (eyes wander). I actually do have a plan, so I guess you can count my friends idea out since I told it to you, or will I surprise you and use the idea because now you don't think I will use something I have already told you about? Do you know? Do I know? Well, I do, but do you? Hehehehehehhehehe. HAVE A COOKIE!

**Tiger Lily21:** I completely understand about the whole stinky dog thing! My cat went outside and got mud all over him and he's so fat that he has mud on his flab, so when he came inside he got stinky mud all over the house and I had to give him a bath (very hard work!) and now I have to clean up the mud he got all over the house! HAHA! YES! THROW THE ROCKS AR MALYDA AND NOT ME! Cinderella stories TEND to end in happily ever after, but have I been terribly predictable? Kind of? Well, OH WELL! my plans are devious little plans MUAHAHAHAHA! YOU ALL SHALL GO "OH MY BLOODY GOD! WHAT IN THE WORLD?" and I shall sit and laugh as you all sit in horror and awe at my devious little plans! MUAHAHAHA! Wow, I'm slightly insane! THANK YOU FOR READING AND REVIEWING! GLAD YOU LIKE IT! HAVE A COOKIE!

**Dreamer At Heart: **Isn't she though? Malyda is like me sometimes. Actually, I'm not _that_ evil, I'M WORSE! hehehehehe. Wow, I am hehehehehe-ing and muahahahahah-ing a lot! I'm slightly... odd. DID YOU LIKE MY COOKIE STORY? HEY! PLEASE DON'T CALL THE INSANE ASYUM ON ME! HERE! HAVE A COOKIE! HAVE THREE! I get a cookie too, mmmm. Cookie. Don't we all have an obsession with cookies? It is something that is not hard to get obsessed to! Thankyou so much for reading the story even though I am clinically insane! HAVE ANOTHER COOKIE!

**Miss Piratess:** Cookies ARE good. Did you like my little cookie story? I like peanut butter cookies AND chocolate chip, so I COMBINE THE TWO INTO A POWERFUL COOKIE OF ZE WORLD! PEANUT AND CHOCOLATE CHIP COMBINE INTO ONE POWERFUL FORCE! muahahahahhaha. And then I thought, OH NO! NO BODY IS TAKING CARE OF ZE COOKIES! THEY'RE GONNA BURN! AH! and I was sad. :( Anyway. It actually was intentional for Malyda to be malady with mixed up letters. That's why Zou Zou called her Miss Malady the first day. I actually didn't realize the name thing until after I wrote it, I was like "hmmm. What is a good name for a ladylike villain?" and then TADA! MALYDA! I was slightly insane (still am actually). She is a bitch isn't she? TIS THE POINT! MUAHAHHAHA! Anywho! Hope you liked this chapter! HAVE A COOKIE!

**Taniny-niisy (Taniis):** That is my official name for you because it has your screen name AND your name so we get BOTH at once! YEY! YOU HATE MILK? I LOVE MILK! (sulks) oh well, I LOVE ICE CREAM TO! HERE! HAVE SOME ICE CREAM WITH YOUR COOKIE! KETCHUP? KETCHUP! YEY! I actually haven't seen that movie, BUT I WILL! I used to eat ketchup from the bottle, but then my mom was like "Don't do it" and I was like "Okay (glug glug)" and she was like "Mia, put down the bottle!" and I was like "NEVER!" and then it was CRAZY! AH! I'm sorry my chapter was not very loong :(. I just haven't had the time to sit down and have a long chapter! A SPORK! YEY FOR SPORKS! My friends like sporks, they are friendly weapons! HEHEHEHE! AH! YOU HIT THE KING WITH A PAN! HEHEHE! Aw, you almost cried? I'm sorry! (sniff sniff) I'M SORRY! AH! HERE HAVE A COOKIE! THAT CORSET IS GENIUS! Elora says thank you, but she left it inside the house :'(. HERE IS ANOTHER COOKIE!

**laurashrub:** Yup, ze prince is slightly desperate for a friend! His dad certainly isn't being a very good one (shakes fist at my own meany king character). I LOVE THAT SONG! I'm jealous of your song talents, I can't make up a song for my life that is that good. Actually I made up asong yesterday based on Bach's classical piece, "Sheep May Safely Graze". It goes, "The sheep may safely graze, When they're rolling in ze hays, doo doo doo doo doo-doo doo doo doo, Watch out for ze wolf" SEE! MY SONG TALENTS ARE REDUCED TO THE TALENT OF A FLY! AND ALL THEY SING IS "BZZZZZZZ"! YOU ACTUALLY RHYMED! (claps for your talents). HERE"S A COOKIE FOR YOU TALENT!

**Lulai: **AH! WERE ARE YOU? your probably off writing another MAGNIFICENT chapter to your new story! I'm still mourning the end of Cave of Wonders , but I shall embrace the new story whole heartedly! FIONA AND JARROD ALL ZE WAY! HERE! HAVE A COOKIE! AND WRITE A CHAPTER LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDED ON IT (or atleast like you getting plentifuls of cookies depended on it, which it does! MUAHAHAHHAAHHAAHAHHA!) HERE! HAVE ANOTHER COOKIE!

**Sirenic Griffin:** HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THOU! I KNOW THAT IT IS LATE NOW! BUT HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THOU! HIP HIP HUZZAH! HIP HIP HUZZAH! HIP HIP HUZZAH! HERE! HAVE TONS OF COOKIES GALORE! AND HAPPY SIXTEENTH! HERE! HAVE ANOTHER COOKIE!

ALSO! HELLOS TO **_v_** and **_lady gwen_**! Thanks for the reviews! HERE'S A COOKIE FOR EACH OF YOU!

Now that I have spent more room on review response then on chapter (sorry), I have to go clean! So lots of cookies to all and to all a good... COOKIE!

Plentifuls of cookies,

Mia


	13. The Shaft

When I woke up, my back still burned though I felt a little better. I wiped the tears from my face, having had another dream about my father, and managed to smile lightly by pulling the quilt and cloak tighter around me. I stood up and looked out of the gap of the tree I wasn't sure how long I had slept, but it was still dark. I hoped to see father somewhere as I searched through the darkness. I sighed when he wasn't there, feeling all the worse that what I already knew would be true was confirmed. Maybe Cloak was around.

Oh... god. I shook my head, ashamed. A feeling of betrayal filled my mind at the though tof Cloak at such a crucial time. I looked back at my house, skinny, cold tears rushing down my cheeks. I have just lost the place father asked me to keep safe, and now I'm thinking about Jon. Looking back at the house, I remembered my promise to Zou Zou, climbed down the tree, leaving the cloak and the quilt behind, and started back to the house.

There wasn't much snow to slow me down, but there was quite a bit of ice. I slipped twice, swearing from the pain it caused to my still weak body, before I made it to the back of the house where the brick of one of the very large chimneys came out. I came up to a large bush that was next to the chimney and pulled back it's leaves. There was Zou Zou's present.

I didn't have any money, nor any special talent of knitting or sewing as Zou Zou had. I was a pretty good cook, great at times, but I didn't have the money to buy the ingredients. All I could give Zou Zou was something I already had, or at least something that I knew about. There, on the side of the chimney, was a secret door. I had discovered it one day during a game of hide and seek with my father. The door itself had been painted to match the tan color of the chimney, and blended well with it. It was also well hidden by the bushes. It was not a very big door, it barely fit papa in when he decided to explore it. When he finally got inside he told me there was room for me to come in too. It was glorious to be inside. The chimney, which appeared to be really large, was not so large in fact, but had a secret passage next to it which could only fit one person and a half (my father being one and a quarter, and my five-year-old self being the other quarter). The passageway was not a tunnel, but a shaft disconnected from the chimney that led up to the attic and down to the basement, now the servants' quarters. I slipped inside the shaft, ignoring the pain this motion caused my back and making sure to have a firm grip on the ladder, pulled the rope of the door to close it, and climbed down where I suddenly hit the ground floor. I then felt for the other rope, and after panicking a few times, I finally found it. I pushed out slowly, not wanting to wake anyone. I pulled away the curtain that covered the door and looked out to see where to put my feet. I slid myself out carefully, and felt for the side of the chimney next to me.

I couldn't see well in here, but it was better than outside because there was a dying fire from the fireplace, though it was very small. I was able to make out the outline of Zou Zou's elegant figure and memorably great nose. I walked over slowly and steadily, trying to be as quiet as possible. I didn't have great luck in that, as I smacked several beds, stepped on one person's foot who was on a ground mattress I didn't notice, and stepped on various objects including a bucket that caused me to trip lightly and stub my toe. Though I was not lucky when it came to being quiet, I was lucky in that for some miraculous reason, nobody woke up because of me. If anything, they seemed to sleep more! One woman started snoring louder, a thing I thought impossible when I first heard it. I bet either her snoring covered up most of my noise or everyone was so used to her snoring that a little bucket clanking and stepping on feet was nothing to them. I giggled a bit and then sighed. It felt a little weird to laugh at a time like this.

"Elora?" Zou Zou said, turning around from the bed I was approaching.

"I was wondering if anyone would hear me," I greeted with a whisper, "Everybody sleeps like they were hit over the head with a shovel... hard," I added. Zou Zou held in a laugh, she then sighed too, obviously feeling like I did.

"Yep, that's what they're like," Zou Zou agreed, she then turned her head and looked over at a couple of beds, "Except some people think it's funny to listen in on conversations when they know they shouldn't be sticking their behinds in places it can make a stink," Zou Zou added a little louder. I heard some giggles and turned to the two maids lying in their beds.

"Sorry Zou Zou, not a word leaves this room. Good night Elora. 'Night Zou Zou," one of the girls said, the other also wishing us good rest.

"Yeah yeah yeah. 'Night to you too. Now sleep! Or I'm gonna kick those stinky behinds of yours," Zou Zou joked. The girls giggled a bit and then went back to sleep. Zou Zou turned back to me and smiled.

"So, what's the plan?" she asked.

"First, off to my room to get me my things." Zou Zou nodded and was about to turn to the stairs when I grabbed her wrist.

"What?" she spoke softly.

"Don't you want to see your birthday present?" Zou Zou scrunched her eyebrows together in confusion.

"Come on," I ordered. I brought her back to the fireplace, which was burning out, and pulled back the curtain. It was very hard to see the door, for it too was designed to blend in very well with the wall. I reached out, felt for the small gap between the stone and the wood, and pulled open the door. Zou Zou gasped lightly.

"Happy Birthday," I whispered. When Zou Zou said nothing, I decide to go on ahead of her. I slid in and climbed up the ladder. Zou Zou immediately followed. I heard her pull close the door, the rope being there for that, and start up the ladder behind me.

I went up carefully through the darkness, not wanting to fall down and crush Zou Zou in the little shaft. It had always felt weird going through the shaft, you really had to rely on where you put your hands and feet because a mistake could be fatal. Even when I was taking precautions not to cause any harm to my companion below, I still managed to scrape my back against the wall and bring back the pain I was trying to ignore, especially when the shaft curved inward a bit, causing me to crouch slightly. After quite a bit of time in the dark, I hit my head hard against some wood above me.

"Ow," I exclaimed, "Well, we're here," I added with a smile. I found the rope that dangled above my head, and pushed open the door, having to shove away the worn rug that covered it up. I then pushed myself up into the attic and squinted my eyes, trying to find the one candle present. My eyes adjusted to the dark, and I looked about at my room. I looked at the feathers that still strewn the floor, the worn mattress that sat in the corner, and the chest that held all of my clothes. I smiled lightly at the room I had since the day I discovered the shaft next to the chimney and where it led to. It was never my favorite place, nor was it a well liked place after Malyda took out most of my belongings from it, but it was still my place... though it wasn't any more. It had been useful in allowing me to escape to my tree after Malyda told me the story and it had soaked up many of my tears on the nights I didn't have the strength to climb down the shaft or walk to the tree. It was not my favorite place, but it was still a part of me. When I spotted the candle, I crawled over and lit it, dimly illuminating the room as Zou Zou crawled up herself. The expression on her face was one of awe. I snickered at her odd face and Zou Zou glared at me for mocking her surprise.

"Oh. So you don't like your present?" I asked. Zou Zou laughed lightly at this, afraid to wake anyone, and then came to hug me.

"No," she replied, "I love the present, but as for the giver..." she answered.

"Oh shut up!" I giggled with Zou Zou. She tightened her hold on me.

"I love it, thank you Elora," Zou Zou told me.

"Your welcome. Now, let's start packing before dawn, I'm sure Malyda will not miss the opportunity to have someone search my room and sell all my useless belongings," I said with a snobby

"What about your back?" Zou Zou asked, concern showing through her eyes even in the dim light.

"Do you want to carry a tub of salve, water, and cloths up the attic ladder and risk breaking your back, or worse, getting caught by Malyda?" I asked, amusement only being part of my voice and dead seriousness being the other.

"I could care less about what Malyda would do to me right now. Let her send me on the streets," Zou Zou declared. I shook my head, sad thoughts in my mind again.

"Zou Zou," I started, "When papa was leaving on his expedition, he made me promise to take care of the house while he was gone. Even though we both thought that it would only be a year or so that he would be gone, when I got the news that he had died at sea, I knew that he would still want me to keep taking care of our home. I've failed in that, so I need you to look after the house for me, okay?" I asked her, Zou Zou nodded solemnly. I felt a little bad putting this on her shoulders, but I knew that she would have done it even with out my asking. There was an uncomfortable sadness hanging in the air, and I felt the need to break it.

"Besides," I added, "Whose gonna be there to wash Claira when she needs a bath?" Zou Zou looked up with a smile and then stuck her tongue out in disgust and we both laughed.

Zou Zou and I started collecting my clothes, which were few. When we had everything collected in a blanket that I tied at the top, I put my father's coat on and quietly went down the attic ladder since even the small bundle I carried wouldn't fit through the shaft. Zou Zou came down and crept through the hallway quietly with me. When we reached the stairs, I sat down and slid down the rail, walking down the stairs and possibly tripping seemed too risky. I remembered the times I had done this before and grieved over the fact that this would be the last time I did it. I landed gracefully on the ground, making no more sound than a slight thump and a sad sigh and waited for Zou Zou to follow. Her landing from the stairs was less graceful, but it was not too loud. We approached the door, opened it, and stepped out into the cold air. The sun was just beginning to rise, an odd pink set in the sky. I turned to Zou Zou who looked worried.

"So," she started, "What are you going to do?"

"Well, I need to go to the city and find a job and then I don't know what I need to do," I answered. Zou Zou nodded sadly.

"When do you think we can see each other?"

"I'm not sure," I replied honestly, "How about we try and meet down by..." I thought on this, "...down by the end of the road a week from now lunchtime?" I had told Zou Zou about the tree, but I wasn't sure I wanted to share it with her yet. It was my place, mine and Cloak's- I mean Jon's- I mean, my father's. My head hurts.

"Okay," Zou Zou agreed, her eyes cast down wards. Suddenly I felt her arms around me and I instinctively hugged her back as she said, "Things will get better. I know they will." I felt some tears falling from my eyes and it took me a while to notice that my one shoulder was getting wet too. When Zou Zou broke away I saw her wet eyes and a light smile on her face. She then turned to leave and shut the door to my home. I turned back with my father's coat on and a small bundle of all I had left and headed back to the tree.

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A/N: sorry I took so long to update, how long has it been? HEY! IT HASN'T BEEN _THAT_ LONG! IT'S BEEN LIKE TWO WEEKS! making me feel all guilty! I had violin stuff like mad! not to mention stupid projects, other stupid homework, competitions and plays to go to! I have a life outside of the computer! AH! Sorry for getting angry at you! Don't throw rocks at me please! here! Have another cookie! COOKIES FOR ALL! (I still am obsessed about cookies, hehe) ON TO THE REVIEW RESPONSES!

**Akwyn:** Your teacher sounds funny! hehehehe! Chalk dust! Your guess is a nice idea, but I must say that this story is gonna be much more complicated than another ball and a happily ever after (even though your guess was quite a good one). Oh yes! Muahahaha! I am DEVIOUS! Here! Have another cookie! You want some really yummy banana bread and carrot cake to go with it? Well... I DO! (runs and gets carrot cake and banana bread)

**panemonium:** Studying sucks monkeys with out bananas! Or banana bread! Mmm... banana bread (runs and gets more banana bread)! Hehehehehe! Your review makes me laugh! glad you like it! Here! Have another cookie! Or some banana bread!

**Dreamer at heart:** YEY FOR ODDNESS! AND COOKIES! RUN LIKE MAD! wait... WE'RE ALREADY MAD! Bye bye mental asylum lady! (Runs with ze cookies and sings) Cookies are yummy in my tummy and they're crummy literally because when you dip them into milk, they will crumble just like... silk? OH WELL! IT RHYMED! hehehehehehehehe. Here! Have another cookie!

**laurashrub:** You are a good rhymer! I stink at rhyming sometimes! But it is still lots of fun to make up wacky songs! sorry, Jon didn't show up in this chapter, he'll be back sooner or later or sometime in between. I love that song! You ARE good at songs! That song made me do a little dance! Here! Have a cookie for your wonderful talent!

**Lulai:** ALL my cookies belong to you guys? Well, I guess I didn't get THAT memo because I just ate like... five... okay! FINE! EIGHT! hehehehe. Wow, that's A LOT of refreshing! yes! Go write for your own story instead! Here! Have another cookie!

**Taniny-niisy/Saio:** Hey there Saio! Hahahahahha! Naughty Tanin! Too many cookies? Here! Have another one! Everybody seems to be having too many suspicions about Zou Zou, it's scaring me quite a bit, everybody is getting a certain vibe! I'm not hinting to anything, just saying it matter of factly! I must say though (just for my self-indulgence of watching you twitch) that though your suspicions (if I have guessed correctly at what they are) are kind of right, they are only cpartially right in a way you will NEVER suspect! MUAHAHAHHAAHHAHAhAhAA! Wow, that is a mighty paint brush! good luck Saio with painting stuff to kill people! And here! Have a cookie!

**Tiger Lily21:** hahahhahah! Cookies! I LOOOOVE cookies! And ice cream! Who ever invented ice cream was a GENIUS! so was the person who invented cookies! Of course you get another cookie! Here! Have another!

**Miss Piratess:** I am ALWAYS plotting something! Muahahahahahahaha! I am glad that at least SOMEONE is admitting that they don't know where I'm taking this story! There are several reviewers (not naming names) who have suspicions that make me laugh! hehehehheehehehe! Here! Have another cookie!

**_Sara:_** Sorry I took soooooo loooong! Bah! (Shakes fist at violin and homework filled with homework) This is all your fault you know! Here! Have a cookie! No! Not you backpack! Not you either violin! It's for Sara! Sorry about that! Here! Have another cookie!

**_v:_** YEY FOR ZE COOKIES! Cloak shall show up eventually, though I must admit it might not be for a couple chapters, there is still the whole mess of Elora finding a job and all sorts of other stuff too! But he will show up soon. Here! Have another cookie:)

**moonlight and starlight:** that is strange... but I have a plan on that, I've thought hard on how to make Elora be called Cinderella and I actually found a way after thinking _really_ hard. I'm glad you like it! I make Zou Zou look too good in the story (she can be a demon in reality sometimes)! But she is a great little sister when she ain't being mean or overly obsessed with cello (she's playing it right now!) I like you username AND your nickname! Hey! Aearial of the Sea is better than Measles (horrible nickname ain't it?) Here! Have a cookie!

**_mellem:_** sorry about the wait! Life gets in the way of writing sometimes! Here! Have a cookie!

**_lady gwen:_** You are the FIRST person to offer me a cookie! (sniffs) thankyou! hehehehehhehe! School sucks! HOMEWORK SUCKS! SPRING BREAK! YEY! 11 DAYS OF FREEDOM! ooooooh! City orchestra? That's awesome! I was gonna try out for the city youth orchestra, but I decided that I would do it next year since I don't want to much on my plate! I bet you have to practice a lot though! That's annoying. Like, I do like playing violin, but sometimes I want a break from having to practice and all the pressure with competitions and such! Ugh! Here! Have another cookie! We shall eat one together and take a break from the life of school and strings stuff!

**WaY aWaY:** I like your name! It's fun to right! YEY! I GOT AN AWARD! I shall put that up with the esteemed Shortest Chapter Ever Award that I got for another story and the golden axe I was also awarded for by someone who threatens me with axes! I would like to thank WaY aWay for the award! It is the best award I have ever gotten! So this is for you! Have a cookie! And here is some sugar to put on top of it! (Hehe)

**_kaytay:_** glad you like it! Like cookies? Here! Have a cookie!

**_Danna:_** hope I updated fast enough! Glad you like the story! Here! Have a cookie!

Cookies to all! Now I must think of where I shall go this summer vacation! Everybody is going somewhere cool! California (Cora! You left me! sobs) Florida (You left me too Leah! sobs more) HEY! MAYBE I WILL GO TO THE MOON! hahahahhaahha! I will have the BEST vacation ever and all the friends who left me will jealous that while they were still on earth I was dancing on the moon with cookies! I shall throw all of you readers and reviewers cookies from the sky! So remember! When you are walking outside and all of a sudden a cookie falls into your hands... THAT'S ME!

Your moon-dancing cookie-thrower,

Mia


	14. The Pub

I had almost expected to see Jon waiting for me at the tree and was disappointed when I did not see him there. Then again, what would I say? "Hello, nice to see you again, your highness. I know I was mad at you yesterday, and am a bit right now, but I just want to let you know that it is okay that you are a prince and I hope we can still be friends. If you would excuse me, I need to go look for a job now that I have been kicked out of my own home. You wouldn't happen to have any salve on you, would you? My back is killing me!" Yeah. Not the best conversation to have with a royal. I sighed and got my stuff from the tree.

After waiting for quite some time for the prince to ride up the hill on his horse, or perhaps waiting for Zou Zou to run up and say how Malyda has just died and left everything to me, I swung the cloak around my shoulders, wrapped the quilt around my baggage, and went on to the city.

The streets were bare when I arrived, save for myself and a cat who followed me for some time until I gave it a scratch and it ran away, satisfied. I just wandered around awkwardly, not knowing where to go.

As the sun started to rise, life started to pick up, and soon, I was surrounded by others going on with their daily routine. I was rather shy, not truly knowing how to ask if anyone wanted an assistant or a maid, and even when I did speak up, I was either ignored, shoved aside, or told to get out of the way. I felt entirely alone as I found myself walking through a crowd of strangers as carriages of the elite rode by. Even those I did recognize, most being childhood foes or (though there were few) friends, paid no notice of me as they scampered away on business. I found myself wandering the streets for hours, the clock tower seeming to ring more and more as I twisted and turned aimlessly through the streets. When my feet got tired, I sat down on a step to a house to take a rest. I looked at the chaos that was the maze of people, and sighed. Maybe I would be better off in the tree. At least that way I would starve in a place I love instead of in the streets where everyone would be too occupied to notice the scrawny girl in the road.

"Ye need some 'elp, miss?" I looked up to see a man, maybe in his late twenties, looking down at me sympathetically.

"Actually yes," I answered, "You wouldn't happen to know where I could get a job would you?" The man smiled.

"Actually I would. Why don't ye follow me?" he said. I beamed. Finally some luck! I followed the man down the streets. He wove through the maze well, and I had trouble keeping up. Eventually we stopped and he turned to a building. I failed to read the sign, but the moment we stepped inside, I knew exactly where I had to be and I stopped.

I had never been inside a pub, but I had learned enough about them to create an image that matched this place perfectly! Smoke filled the dark room, laughter spread across the room along with other drunken bumbling, and the room was filled with people with drinks in their hands. The place was dim and gave off the feeling that it was always a drunken night as long as you were here. The women who were scattered across the room in their sleazy outfits told me that this was more than just a pub. I grimaced at the thought that I had been led to such a place. Suddenly someone grabbed hold of my wrist and I jumped at the horrid touch.

"Get goin' girly. Ye ain't gettin' paid to just stand there. Get yerself upstairs!" the man ordered, dragging me forward. I pulled back and held my ground strong. I towered over this man by an inch. I wasn't going to let a drunken idiot like this take advantage of me, especially if I had the advantage of height on him. He tightened his hold on my wrist, causing me to wince, and tried to pull me forward unsuccessfully. I glared down at him, and his reaction was slightly shocked. I took this opportunity to pull my hand from his grip and swing around. I almost had the door open when a big man burst through the door, bumping right into me and sending me flying to the ground. I sat up slowly, rubbing my burning back. I coughed as the string of the cloak strangled me as the hood was pulled up. I stood up quickly, swung around, bashed the man in the face, and made a run for it.

"Damn it girl! Yer gonna pay fer that!" I heard as I ran out the door and down the street. People yelled at me as I bumped around in the crowd which was standing still at the moment. I stole a glance behind me and found the man with several of his friends chasing after me. I ran across the cross and out into the road. I shrieked as I almost was hit by a lone carriage on the street which came to a stammering halt, but I kept going when I regained my sense. I could hear mumbles and light cries of anger as I shoved through and as my attackers followed. I dipped into an alleyway and sped on. After I had made it down a long stretch of the alleyway, I realized the chase had ceased. I stopped and let out a sigh of relief. I walked silently on, and ended up wrapping the quilt around myself when I got too cold, and partially to reassure myself that I was still clothed and covered up.

The past twenty-four hours had to be the worst since the day I got the letter my father died. It was almost as bad as the time I realized that Malyda, the woman that was known as one of the worst pieces of trash ever to sell herself into court. When I spoke to papa about it, he had told me that "people come to hard times" and that "she just needs the support she's never gotten." He had sworn he had not been seduced by her, but was "sick of her being treated like trash when there isn't anyone out there who was willing to help her become otherwise." I had also felt sympathy for her daughters and all they must have endured, but when they continuously acted like they were above me despite my efforts to have us be equals, be a family, I had gotten fed up. No one should act that snobbish and get away with it, no matter how hard times had gotten for them. Father even admitted that a lot of what happened to Malyda had been brought on by herself when she could have avoided it, and that she had taken the easy way out most of the time, but he insisted that people deserved second chances. I wasn't exactly sure why he was allowing this cruel lady have a chance while there were much more deserving, _kinder_ people out there that he could have chosen, but I had a theory that Malyda's looks reminded him of a past love. He and Malyda had not been very intimate, they used to flirt a bit, but when Malyda got annoyed with putting on the act when she was already married, things became more neutral. They had treated each other with respect, but it was not the friendliest of relationships; rather it was just a way for my father to think I had a mother figure and that he was helping out those in need.

I sat down on a step in the alley and sighed, happy that I had not landed myself in Malyda's situation . . . yet. I cringed at the thought that it might one day come to that. That I might be starving on the streets, begging for pennies as the busy people pass me by. What would I do then? Would I have to go back to . . . _that place_? Would I end up being the trash on the street Malyda predicted for me? I brought the quilt over my face, letting it drape over my eyes. What would Zou Zou think? I then fiddled with the cloak as I bit my lip. What would the prince think? I thought on this and I sighed once more. He'd probably pass me by in his carriage and not even take notice of the starving strumpet on the road, or if he did, he'd probably look on with pity or disgust without recognizing whom he was feeling it for. I put my face in my hands and sobbed lightly. Oh God, this stank. This absolutely stank.

A door opened behind me and I turned about to face who was there. Maybe help had finally come. Maybe I things would get better. Maybe-

"Get out of me way!" a woman shouted at me, kicking my back hard as I stood up. I stepped out of the way and held my back sorely as the woman trotted along the alleyway with a large basket in her hand. I groaned and walked down the alleyway.

I found myself wandering the city for most of the day, and managed to steal a pastry with out being noticed. The day went by slowly for me as I went about, randomly choosing my streets as I went. Sometimes I would see others who were homeless as I was, but those who were, were either drunk, hung-over, unconscious, or were strumpets who had been kicked out. Foelata had always been a pretty well off city with few homeless citizens, as my father had told me, I doubt it had changed much in the past four years. All of them had obviously put themselves in the situation in a way that would probably keep them there unless they shaped up. I swore that I would never become like them, spending my life on the streets and then spending any money I got in the pub. I would make a better life for myself.

The sun kept moving across the sky, and when darkness came and the streets cleared, I began searching for a place to stay. Finally, I found a friendly abandoned crate in an alleyway. I crawled into it and made myself comfortable, well, as comfortable as you can be in a wooden crate. As I curled up in a ball, wrapping the quilt and cloak around me, and putting my bundle under my head for a pillow, I found myself laughing at my situation. Just five years ago, before Malyda came along with her twisted twins, I never would have thought that I would find myself living in a crate. I wonder if papa ever worried about what would become of me as he was out at sea? My laughter turned into deep sobs.

"Why did you leave me?" I whispered. I curled up more and cried myself to sleep where I dreamed of my father's body being pushed away into the deep sea.

* * *

A/N: In celebration of 100 reviews (does a dance) I am putting up 2 chapters for all of you! And the next chapter is pretty LOOOOONG! it IS! it really is! Soooo... read it! AND YEYS TO YOU ALL! 


	15. Darling Dana and Dearest Danny

I stared out from around the corner, careful so that I wasn't seen.

"How much for one?" a young gentleman asked. He had a lady by his side and a carriage waiting behind them.

"Four and a half rallod," replied the vendor. I looked closely to find my chance, having learned fairly well when the best time was to go.

"That's quite a hefty price," the gentleman debated.

"It's quite worth it," the vendor smiled.

"I'll take two," the gentleman said after thinking about it. The vendor pulled out two ice creams from a cart filled with ice. The old man was write when he said it was worth it, ice cream was not around much since ice was hard to preserve through the spring when it started warming up. I licked my lips and waited patiently. The old man got two bowl shaped wafers out filled with vanilla ice cream and set them on the top of his cart.

"Fudge is an extra emid," the vendor offered. The gentleman looked to his lady who smiled up and nodded eagerly. The gentleman smiled down at her. I smiled with them and then scowled at the fact that they could be so happy _and_ have ice cream! They didn't know how lucky they were. I hesitated on what I had set out to do, but then pushed it away when my stomach growled.

"Fudge for both," said the gentleman. The vendor bent down with one of the ice creams to get it some fudge and I dashed out to grab the ice cream he had left on the cart.

"I'm sorry," I apologized to the couple and the vendor as I whisked the ice cream away. The couple looked at me in shock and the vendor yelled after me. Nobody chased after me, and I didn't expect anyone to. People were to busy to care about a single ice cream that was stolen. The couple would simply be given another ice cream and the world would go on with its' business. Nobody really gave a care about the ice cream thief as everyone had other things to worry about. This, to my luck, had been the case for several baked goods, fruits, vegetables, and now, an ice cream.

I turned through some alleyways and came to a big crate I had discovered just last week. Inside was my bundle of things, including a pillow and several used clothes I had been able to work and trade for. I sat down in the (small) closet sized crate and enjoyed my ice cream, scooping it up with a bit of the wafer. It was very good, though it would have been nice to have fudge.

"Mow." I turned to face the stray that I had met resting in the crate when I had found it last week. It was a tabby with yellow eyes and white front paws and black back paws. I laughed and pet him.

"Hello there Boots," I greeted. I had finally came up with an official name yesterday, though it had taken some time. I had thought about giving him an absurd name like Sir Hat the Cat (I just liked the rhyme) or Mr. Peanut (what I always wanted to call my cat for unknown reasons), but his black boots got the better of me and I settled on the more typical name. At least it wasn't Mittens! Or Sammy! Boots came and rubbed up against me. He curved through the gap in my arm and I was scratching his head when I realized he was going for my ice cream!

" Hey!" I exclaimed, "That's my lunch!" I held the ice cream away from the evil kitty and laughed.

"Mow?"

"No!"

"Mowow?"

"No!" Man, this cat was smart.

"Meowowow." I laughed at this, this was reminding me of a conversation I had over two months ago.

"No!" Boots rubbed up against me as if to say "I'll do anything you want". I laughed again. "What?" I said, "Are you going to go and bark like a dog too?"

Boots looked up at me, and I almost expected a bark to come out of him when he let out another "Mow?". I laughed, brought the wafer bowl down, took two more large, quick bites and set down the rest.

"Fine fine fine. It's all yours, you spoiled cat." Boots dug in heartily and even nibbled at the wafer. When he was done, I stepped out of the crate and crumbled the left over wafer on a small crate next to mine for the birds to take, then I secured the cloth around my braids and twisted the crate around so that the objects inside weren't visible- they weren't much, but they were all I had and I didn't want to take any risks.

"Bye Boots," I told the cat that had come out to see what I was doing, "I'm off to find me some errands to do, maybe I'll find a place to stay for the night," I explained. It was odd talking to a cat, but it was certainly better than nothing. Besides, I had seen ladies with their dogs talk a lot stranger, using a oochie-scoochie-my-dear-little-poochie voice as they trotted along in lovely carriages.

I headed out on the streets and searched for anyone who appeared to need help. Over my time out here in the city, I had been able to keep from completely starving by finding small jobs to do. It all started with a couple that was off to see a play but didn't have anyone to watch the children. They were arguing on the street, the husband saying that they would be okay and the wife saying that no they wouldn't, when I came up and offered to take the job, looking to get out of the cold and maybe get a bit to eat. They looked over me and though the wife was skeptical, her husband was insistent on them having a night out and basically threw his wife in the carriage and told me to go on in and make myself comfortable. When they came home and saw their kids happily asleep and the house intact, they payed me a nice amount of money and let me stay for the night and for lunch the next day when their servants came home from vacation. After that, I found myself running into small jobs every once in a while. However, as the weather got nicer, the jobs became less, though I could still find one sometimes. I hadn't had a job for almost three weeks, and though the days were very nice, the nights were not so friendly.

Zou Zou had also helped when it came to certain needed necessities. We met as much as we could, normally seeing each other once a week. She would bring some food or a shawl she crocheted. We would talk and laugh and sometimes cry. She would tell me a little about the happenings of the house and I would tell her about some jobs I had, then she would go on about the house. The prince had come by once, his excuse being that he wished to thank Lady Malyda for having him at the ball and apologize for his actions, but Zou Zou said it was obvious why he was there by the way he asked where I was and seemed eager to leave when Miss Malady said I was traveling and Claira foolishly added that I was visiting the tailor. I laughed when Zou Zou told me this, and Zou Zou gave me a funny look, then joined into the insanity. Sir Gratanon had come by several times too. At the mention of him I found myself shivering and noticed that Zou Zou did the same. He and Malyda seemed to be having several meetings. I scoffed at the nasty thought of what they might be doing in these "meetings". After talking about this, Zou Zou would move on to better topics, such as how Klara and Claira had a fight over a ribbon and ended up pulling at each others hair. Zou Zou described in awe how even when they were doing this, they seemed to be doing it gracefully, and I nodded in understanding as I laughed at the idea of the twisted twins pulling each others beautiful, brown locks apart, for a ribbon no less! After every meeting, Zou Zou would give me a basket filled with the food and clothes, I would give her back the last basket she had given me, we would hug, and go our separate ways- her to work at the house and I to find work.

I roamed the streets for several hours, but no one seemed to need any help. There weren't any old ladies with heavy wheel barrows, no restaurant managers with a shortage of staff, no over panicky ladies who would give a nice reward for finding a tacky necklace that would probably have been better off lost, there was nothing. Still, I kept going, hoping for something to show up. I had just turned the corner of the theater when I heard a fuss behind me.

"That's her!" a man announced, "That's the girl who stole one o' me apple turn-overs last week!" I turned at that, vaguely remembering an incident like that. I prayed that it wasn't me, but I saw the police coming slowly towards me. They didn't seem too interested in the small theft, but they would not ignore the law either. I turned around and walked quickly, hoping to be lost in the crowd. No such luck. The police just sped up as the man kept complaining and I went faster. I started a run and flew about the street. I crossed the rode and the police followed, gaining on me. I sped up, my long legs helping me in this. I looked behind me and sighed as I saw them fall behind me. Then, in all my klutzy glory, I bumped right into something. Not something, someone.

I managed to sit up after completely throwing the person and myself to the ground. I saw the police would definitely get me now, so I did the best thing I thought to do, I looked at the person I stumbled upon and apologized.

"I'm terribly, terribly sorry," I said to a middle aged man in fine clothes. His hair was grey, though there was signs of it being blond once, and he had a matching grey beard too. He had a strong chin, a soft, large nose, bushy eye brows, and floppy ears. There was something familiar about him. I helped him up to his feet, apologizing once again. He was very tall, standing half a foot above my own height.

"It's quite alright, child," he insisted kindly. His blue eyes finally fell on me and they widened in the surprise I had received before at the ball and by the tailor. Oh! This was the tailor! My sympathetic smile widened and turned to one of kindness and respect more than sympathy. The man smiled at me.

"Lovely to see you again, Lady Elora," the tailor exclaimed, "Though I must say it is oddly met." We laughed together, and then my laughter ceased as the police reached us. The tailor raised one of his bushy eyebrows. "Quite oddly met," I heard him mumble.

"Miss," one of the policeman addressed me, "We have information that suggests you have stolen from a vendor."

"She... did it... I tell ya!" huffed the short vendor.

"Do you recount thieving from this man last Tuesday, miss?" the policeman asked. He seemed not at all interested in the little man and like he just wanted to move on to more important matters. I sighed and opened my mouth to answer, not yet knowing whether I would tell the truth or not, when I was interrupted.

"That is impossible, sir," said the tailor, "She had a fitting at my store the whole day last Tuesday." I felt my eyes starting to bulge out and my mouth starting to gape when I realized that letting myself make such a face would be a complete give away. I wasn't sure whether I wanted this man to save me, but I certainly did not want to make him look like a fool, and I certainly did not want to go to jail, even if it would be somewhere to stay.

"Is this true, miss?" the policeman questioned, he was not buying it, but he did not seem to care.

"It was her!" shouted the vendor. The policeman looked at me and I looked at the tailor who smiled at me. I knew how awkward it must have looked for a fine tailor to be saying this girl in rags was at a fitting, but I nodded anyway.

"Yes," I said simply.

"You little wench!" the vendor cried. The tailor pulled out some coins and gave it to the vendor.

"I hope that will cover what you've lost," the tailor said. I looked at the coins and knew that it was more than enough, the vendor shut up immediately. "And I hope who ever it was does not do it again," the tailor added, looking at me. I nodded to him lightly.

"Good day officers," the tailor then said.

"Good day sir," the policeman who had done all the talking before said. The other policemen nodded to the tailor and to me. The scene split up and I turned to the tailor in awe, letting my eyes bulge and my mouth fall agape now.

"Your welcome," the tailor laughed. I mumbled out a "Thank you so much", but it ended up sounding like a "Tankya bo munch", which just made the tailor chuckle more. I shook my head and got out of my trance.

"How can I repay you?" I asked the tailor. He looked me over.

"Do you have any place to stay?" the tailor asked. I shook my head self-consciously. Part of me hoped that he would scoop me up and give me a home, but the larger part said that he would be like everyone else and leave me on the streets. His next words made me laugh and gave me more hope. "Malyda was never one for charity," he said, and I let out some surprised laughter as he turned around with a smile, "Why don't you come on in," he offered. I stepped forward and then realized all he had already done for me and all I had done to him. Bumping into someone was not always the way to get invitations into homes. I stopped and looked down.

"But-" I started. The tailor stopped my words by turning around with a kind smile.

"Do you want to repay me or not?" he asked. I nodded lightly at this. "Then you will come inside and make yourself comfortable. I've been saying that I've needed an assistant for some time," he added as he opened the door to his store. I walked into the beautiful store as I did last time with Malyda and the twins, but this time, it felt more friendly than it did overwhelming. He opened a door that stood at one wall of the store and there stood a stair case. He led me up stairs and at the top I found myself in the hallway of any home I had seen before.

"Where's my darling Dana?" called the tailor.

"In the kitchen, dearest Danny!" cried a woman's voice from my left. I found myself letting out a small laugh I was trying to suffocate. The tailor, or "dearest Danny", turned to me, gave me a smile and winked. He led me down the hall through a dining room and into a kitchen were a short, thin, though obviously strong woman stood in front of a stove with many pots and pans that were boiling and sizzling. I recognized the small figure as the woman who helped me into the dress I wore to the twins birthday ball. "Dearest Danny" came up behind "darling Dana" and wrapped his arms around her. I lowered my head lightly as he came down and kissed her on the cheek.

"Why hello there," responded "dearest Dana" as she turned around to give him a kiss. Her eyes widened as she spotted me, and I couldn't help but let out a big laugh. She reached up slightly and smacked not so "dearest Danny" on the arm and hissed, "You didn't say we were having visitors!" That was when the tailor rubbed his arm and smiled down at his wife.

"I didn't know we would be either," he announced, quiet truthfully at that. His wife stepped forward, wiped back some of her brown, greying hair, and held out a hand. She fixed her eyes on me and then gave that surprised look that I was starting to get used to- several rich folks I worked for gave me that look too and then would shake their heads and just give me the job. The woman did not shake her head, but smiled kindly and shook my hands. She was maybe a foot shorter than me, but she had a confidence in those brown eyes that made her seem taller than she was.

"Lady Elora, what a pleasant surprise!" I was shocked at how these people remembered my name. I took the woman's small hand and shook it. I gave a small, weak half-smile and took her hand. I was opening my mouth to respond, when I found I did not know what to say.

"Oh, Dan! The girl does not know our names! You might have wanted to introduce yourself before you brought her here!" The woman teased. The tailor chuckled and blushed slightly.

The stepped to me, cleared his throat, and said, "My name is Daniel Barrington, but you may call me Dan. This here," Dan said, motioning to his wife, "Is my darling wife Daniella." I found myself chuckling at the introduction. I turned to the woman and smiled at her.

"Lovely to meet you," I said, shaking her hand again. Daniella nodded to me.

"And you, Lady Elora. But please, you may call me Dana," Dana smiled. We both laughed as we released hands.

"And please, you must call me Elora," I insisted.

"Why! That's only fair," Dana exclaimed. We both laughed again. I then found Dana looking over my clothes and give her husband an inquisitive look. Dan's smile faltered lightly.

"Lady Malyda found that her generosity ran out," I replied, hating calling the Virus generous. Dana turned to me, gave me a sympathetic look, and then smiled.

"That woman was anything but generous," I smiled back at Dana's words, "I suppose you don't have anywhere to go then do you?" I shook my head, not wanting to gain pity, but not wanting to deny the truth.

"Then you must stay here with us," she announced, holding out a hand to my arm.

"I..." I started, "It's not necessary... I'm quite fine," I started. What was I doing? I had been looking for a place to stay for two months, and now I was turning it down!

"No no no!" Dana insisted, "I'm not letting a sweet girl like you roam about the streets all alone!"

"Besides," Dan added with a smile, "We both have needed an apprentice on hand to learn our craft and help with the store." I stood there with my mouth open, ready to protest. I don't know what it was, but this charity just seemed like too much.

"Why don't you give her the spare room, Danny? Show her around too. Don't forget to get her some nicer clothes," Dana said as she went on with her cooking. I tried to get some words of protest out, but Dan took my arm and whispered in my ear.

"There's nothing you can say to sway her," he mumbled, "When she has her heart set on something, it's set." I nodded lightly and then remembered something before he led me out of the room.

"I... I actually have some belongings I left behind me... some stuff I need to get," I explained. Dana turned around at that and smiled.

"Any clothes you've left behind we can replace. I don't want you back on that street until you've got a nice set of clothes on you," she said sweetly. Her words were caring, but I was insistent on this.

"I really do appreciate that, but there are some things that are of great importance to me," I contradicted. Her sweet eyes and the kindness I was receiving were the only things keeping me from sounding like a total jerk. I needed the cloak, the quilt, the shoes, my father's clothes, and I think I even had a part of me that needed Boots. Dana and Dan saw this need in my eyes and Dana nodded kindly.

"Of course," she said simply, "Dan, why don't you take the carriage and get her things, dinner should be ready when you come back." Dan nodded and gave my arm a light squeeze. I smiled at both of them.

"Thank you," I said.

When we got to the alleyway, I called the carriage to a halt and stepped out of the carriage with the help of the driver. Dan followed along, looking about sadly at the place I had been staying. He watched me as I approached the crate. I could tell because he sneezed several times and when I turned to say "bless you" I would find his eyes on the crate and me. When I removed the crate and saw Boots roused from a sleep on the pillow.

"Hi there Boots," I greeted with a smile.

"Achoo!" Dan sneezed.

"Bless you," I said.

"Thank you," he replied. His eyes fell on the cat and widened before he sneezed again. "I'm sorry," he said, "I am allergic to cats." I looked back at Boots, and gave him a sad smile. I scooped up my bundle, swung the cloak and quilt about my shoulders, and gave the cat another soft smile as he purred on the pillow there in the crate.

"Goodbye, Boots."

"Mow?" I turned away from the crate and walked away, Dan looking at me sympathetically. He helped me into the carriage and then followed me.

"Mow?" I heard. I sank in my chair lightly.

"Mow?" What would happen to Boots now?

"Mow?" Who would feed him? He was way to skinny as it was and he was a lot worse when I found him. The carriage started up and I looked back at the cat I met just a week ago.

"Mow!"

"Oh all right!" I heard Dan say, "Stop the carriage!" I looked at him in surprise. "Let the cat in!" he ordered. I smiled in shock and then nodded when he waited for me. I opened the door to the carriage.

"Come on Boots!" I called.

"Mow!" the cat yelped with excitement as he jumped into my lap.

"Let's get going now!" Dan announced, holding in a sneeze. The carriage started up and I pet the cat on my lap as I headed to the house that I knew had a nice dinner and a loving woman awaiting me. Things were finally looking up for me. I smiled at this.

"Achoo!" I laughed as Boots purred and Dan finally gave in and found himself laughing too.

A/N: YEYS TO YOU ALL! I AM HAVING A PARTY WITH LOTS OF FOOD NEXT CHAPTER! SO TELL ME WHAT FOOD YOU WANT AT THE DANCE PARTY IN CELEBRATION OF 100 REVIEWS (dances)! YEYS TO YOU ALL AGAIN!

**Miss Piratess:** Intelligent review? Never heard of the word! Er... I mean two words... er... or phrase... well I've heard the word "intelligent" (though not directed at me) and I've heard the word "review", but not together if you know what I mean. Well, actually HAVE heard of the word/two-words/phrase but it's just an expression to show that I don't give intelligent reviews- or review responses in that case! Wow, I really messed THAT up, didn't I? I'm quite tired! Muahaha! THANK YOU FOR READING AND REVIEWING! what food do YOU want? I shall put it on the list!

**Eleniel of the Stars:** I do think rather hard! And then my head hurts and it just turns back to the jello that it used to be and then I go crazy! CRAZY I SAY! I'm sorry, you are probably slinking away from me and trying to run to the nearest exit aren't you? DON'T BE AFEARD! I HAVE A BEARD! HAHAHAHHAHAA! I'm sorry again, it's just a joke that me and Zou Zou have together because during Halloween I brought my pillow case to fill with candy and then I pulled out a beard I brought along and immediately I thought up the closest thing I could to something that would land me in an insane asylum and that was it! Zou Zou laughed soooo hard and then everyone else looked at us all funny as I walked around with my beard making superman poses. Hehehehehe! Is your original story on the internet? fiction press perhaps? I'd like to read it! Tell me what food you want! CHEERS FOR THOU! Hip hip HUZZAH! Hip hip HUZZAH! Hip hip HUZZAH!

**panemonium:** Ain't it all so wonderful? I MEAN- horrible (starts fake sobbing). Muahahahaha. My plan is working! THE SADNESS OF THE STORY IS BEGINNING! and you all expected it to be an insane comedy the whole way through? MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA! okay, I'm done with that. I'm sorry, it won't ALWAYS be bad... well, it MIGHT always be bad, but that is beside the point! The point is that I have control over the characters actions and all! MUAHAHAHAHA! but seriously, there will be laughter coming up soon... well eventually... actually, it will be pretty soon, like next chapter soon! And I'm predicting that in about three or four chapters of light happiness there will be immense drama and then in I think no more than ten chapters there will be the big boom and all will either resolve well or go horribly wrong (depending on my mood, THE POWER!) muahahahaha. All the story related questions will be answered in due time, if I reveil them, it will be telling you too much! THAT IS WEIRD! I only have like one slice of banana bread left! (Sob) hmm... I'll think about Jamaica, but in the meanwhile I am rather enjoying the moon, it's fun to dance there because it's really slow and then when you jump it's like flying! NO SPRING BREAK? THAT STINKS! oh well, hope you look forward to the upcoming party! Tell me what food you want! I shall put banana bread on the list for fun! CHEERS FOR THOU! Hip hip HUZZAH! Hip hip HUZZAH! Hip hip HUZZAH!

**laurashrub:** I threw you an almond cookie, peanut butter cookie, and a chocolate chip cookie because your song made me laugh sooo much! I threw them to you yesterday so you should get them within the next two days! Your song talent IS soooo existant! And rocking! I try a song for you now:

Laura shrub,

My shrubby Laura girl,

When I get your reviews,

It makes my heart twirl,

Look out for the cookies

That are falling in swirl,

Don't let them hit you on the head,

My shrubby Laura girl.

YEY! How'd you like it? Why are you picking up that rock? AH! PLEASE DON'T THROW IT AT ME! here! Have a cookie! Hehehehehehe.

**CharlyB:** Nope, he wasn't there. Sorry. Technically it's only been like... less than 10 hours and only, may be four or five (I don't know) chapters since he's been around, but I geuss it does FEEL longer since updating takes like weeks! he'll turn up soon! No worries! thanks fo the review! And I think that you are right! You are getting picky on how fast I update! Hmph (crosses arms). I feel so unappreciated at times! NO NO NO! JK! I love you all so much! You guys are my motivation to write faster!CHEERS FOR THOU! Hip hip HUZZAH! Hip hip HUZZAH! Hip hip HUZZAH!

**_v:_** HERE! HAVE A WHITE CHOCOLATE MACADAMIA NUT COOKIE THEN!(throws the cookie off from the moon) yeah... I needs to go over that shaft business, 'cause it confuzzled me! CHEERS FOR THOU! Hip hip HUZZAH! Hip hip HUZZAH! Hip hip HUZZAH!

**Akwyn:** muahahahhaha! I am a Tarkheena of not being boring! Zou Zou would disagree with that. She's sitting here being hungry and laughing, but not out of non-boredom, she's just sooo bored that she is laughing at my TERRIBLE jokes, actually she's laughing at the fact that I am writing about my dear old sister! actually, she's not dear, and she's my younger sister. And now she is swearing at me! AH! SHE NEEDS FOOD! Zou Zou's present was the shaft! But the room kind of is in the deal.AH! I CAN FEEL ZOU ZOU GLARING AT ME! CHEERS FOR THOU! Hip hip HUZZAH! Hip hip HUZZAH! Hip hip HUZZAH!

**_lady gwen:_** YEY! COOKIE CAKE! Zou Zou says "cellos better!" and I humbly agree! Zou Zou plays cello! Isn't that nifty? She only practices most of the day! AH! ZOU ZOU'S GLARE IS BURNING A HOLE IN THE COMPUTER! yey for not worrying about concerts! Ugh... me no like talent shows... bad experiences with those (considering I have a lack of talent in general!) GOOD LUCK WITH IT ALL THOUGH! CHEERS FOR THOU! Hip hip HUZZAH! Hip hip HUZZAH! Hip hip HUZZAH!

**Dreamer at Heart:** I don't know if they are moon cookies... you want a moon cookie? I could send you one! secret passages rock! Unfortunately, me no have one either. (Frowns) Oh well! I HAVE COOKIES AND I LIVE ON THE MOON! oddness is fun! yey for oddness! COOKIES DOO RULE THE GALXY! THAT'S WHY I'M THROWING THEM FROM ZE MOON! The moon is FUN! HERE! HAVE A MOON COOKIE! throws the moon cookie! CHEERS FOR THOU! Hip hip HUZZAH! Hip hip HUZZAH! Hip hip HUZZAH!

Now I am off to have lunch! OW MY LEG HURTS! IT'S FALLEN ASLEEP! Zou Zou wants food! Must go! don't forget to tell me what food you want for next chapters party!

Much random, crazy dancing and cookies and food,

Mia


	16. Right Here

It was late April now, and I had been with Dan and Dana for about a month now. I was ecstatic when I was brought into a room with a fireplace and a wonderful queen sized bed with lots of blankets and pillows and a chamber pot in the corner. I especially loved the chamber pot, finding a place to go in the city was always an uncomfortable experience. Boots was happy too to find his warm comfy pillow in the corner that Dan had found. I loved their home. It was colorful with fabrics hanging of the many colored walls making me feel like I was walking through a rainbow high up in the clouds at sunset. Their house was great, but I found myself gaining an attachment to the people too. Even in my short time there, I really grew to like Dan and Dana and the warmth that came from them. They both had a good sense of humor, and when they were together- which was most of the time- they were a riot. They were obviously in love and they had no trouble showing it, though I found that Dana was quite the blusher. The small time they did spend together, they spent on their personal passions.

Dan loved making clothes. It was a very special art form to create something magnificent for some one to wear. He spent a lot of time in the back of the store were he made his clothes. Dana and I would be down there for most of the time, helping to fetch a certain fabric or to find some beads. From being down there, I found myself gaining new knowledge on the art of clothing. I was able to recognize different kinds of fabric, which is a lot harder than I thought it would be. I could also tell what gowns are more suitable for certain affairs and even what the person who would be wearing the gown would look like even if I hadn't seen them. In the case of male clothing, I had learned what size sleeves of undershirts and jackets should reach to be the respectable length, how different collars can make someone's neck look huge or ears seem big and if you don't get the collar right, you can mess everything up. I was even able to predict the height and status of the man within one inch of error and one scale of status. Dan took this art very seriously (though he was still able to joke) and as a result, I learned very quickly.

Dana's passion was cooking, and boy was she good. At least an hour in advance of every meal, she would go up stairs to the house and start cooking. I would normally stay downstairs and help the ladies who came by in their fittings as Dan helped with the men, but I had the luck of being able to watch Dana in her craft. Dana said that before I came around, they were never able to schedule women around lunch time, which hurt their business since many ladies wanted to stop in the city for there fitting before going to lunch. Dana said once as I was watching her make a very yummy smelling broth, that they were trying to have as small a waist as possible when they were being measured for their dresses and that even though Dan knew this two and would accommodate for this, Dana secretly wished that Dan did give them a dress with an incredibly tiny waist so they would suffocate. I laughed and then she continued to go on, pointing out the spices and herbs she used and what each added. Sometimes she gave me the right of making a meal as she watched and gave me constructive criticism on how to improve. Dana's food was always amazing... except for one... minor problem. You had to pull out a long brown hair every once in a while. No matter how well Dana covered up her hair, how much she tide it up, some how her straight, silken hair popped up in one of her mouth-watering dishes, which just ended up making you cough as you had to pull the slimy thing out of your mouth. At first, I tried to ignore it and pretend it didn't happen just as Dan did. Every once in a while, I would find myself pulling out a hair, looking across the table to Dan and each of us sharing an amused, knowing look. One day however, Dana spoke up at our glances.

"Don't think I'm blind, I can see what you two are thinking plain in your eyes!" she snapped, obviously embarrassed. This just made me and Dan laugh.

"What?" Dan asked, chuckles showing through his eyes and bubbling through his throat, "You want us to bring the extra ingredient you always seem to add out in the open?"

"Well..." Dana hesitated.

"Hey!" Dan yelped, "Let's start a game! Who ever finds the most of Dana's hair in the food by the end of the meal wins... half of the other peoples desert!" I almost fell out of my chair in laughter, not just from what Dan said, but from the glare that came from Dana's red face. "Every strand is one point!" Dan added. I did fall out of my chair this time, I wasn't able to breath. I held my stomach and my face turned red as Dana rose from her chair and turned redder herself.

"You stop that right now Daniel!" she demanded.

"It looks like Elora likes the idea," he chuckled, pointing at me as I held my stomach. I started hiccuping and then I farted. Dana looked over at me when I let out the fart. Through my tears, I could see her anger rise slightly and then fall as she let out her own smile.

"My lord, you two are insane." Dana came over to me and helped me recover from the horrible laughter that I didn't think I would be able to stop. She then sat down and started eating again.

"Does this mean the game is on?" Dan asked. I ended up snorting my laughter.

"Could you pass the salmon please Elora?" Dana asked.

"Of course,"

"Oh, so no one's talking to me now?"

"I'm talking to you," I said to Dan.

"Can you pass me a lemon slice, Elora?" Dana requested. Dan was closer to the lemons so he started to get one. "Elora," Dana hissed.

"Oh come on, Dana!" Dan said, "I was just joking!" Dana said nothing and the table was silent. Dana took one bite of her salmon. Then another. Then... she put her fork down, turned her head from both of us and raised her hand to her mouth. Dan and I looked at each other, both knowing what she was doing. We showed unsuccessfully held down smiles and I saw some words showing up in Dan's eyes. I then looked at him scornfully, telling him no to say it. _Don't say it. Just don't, _I had begged within myself.

"You should save that hair Dana! You could win more desert!" _Oh no, _I thought. Dana swung around, the hair still caught in her teeth. Dan gave an innocent-old-man look at her, his lips in a slight smile and his body tilted back in a "please don't hurt me" way. I knew I had to act, but I didn't know what to do. I quickly pulled out my napkin and brought it to the table, actging on instinct and hope.

"Nope," I announced, "Your desert is mine!" Dana and Dan then turned to me and looked at the bundle of hair on my napkin. Dan gaped at me, and I knew that he thought I had just committed suicide. I did not disagree. However, when I turned to Dana, I did not find her lunging at me with a knife, but letting out a hesitant smile and then a laugh. It was a sweet, carefree, friendly laugh. Me and Dan looked at her in shock.

"So!" Dan had finally said, "It's funny when she says it, but not when I do?" Dana nodded in her laugh. After they argued, laughed, and gave threats of taking all cooking supplies away and letting the cat in the dining room, they eventually made up with a small kiss and continued eating. Though we did not actually play the game, we still dwell on the joke by announcing "One point for me!" or "The deserts mine!" when we find the hairs.

I tell Zou Zou all of this when I visit her. We have been able to visit a lot more regularly in the past month and sometimes she is even able to get enough time off to meet me in the city. She still knits and crochets me some clothing, but knows I don't need it since I'm living with a tailor (Dan is quite impressed with her work though). Zou Zou has met Dan and Dana before and they all got along great, the room was filled with laughter almost the whole way through. When I ask Zou Zou about the house, she says nothing has really changed but Sir Gratanon has been around more often, but him and Malyda don't seem intimate. I've had Zou Zou investigate this for about two weeks, and al she's been able to come up with is little bits of conversation about Klara marrying the prince, and a letter. She says that my name has come up a bit, but they mostly refer to "her" and she's guessing that's Klara. Zou Zou had noticed the slight stiffness in my shoulders after telling me about the prince and Klara, but she said to relax. "Even if it was a while ago, and even if you didn't know him too long, it's okay to feel bad, but you should relax. If he's really who you told me he was, I don't think these plans Miss Malady is making will go anywhere. Besides, they aren't engaged yet, or there would be an announcement." This helped a bit, but it still made me tense. According to Zou Zou, the prince had been over once more, but it was brief and he left just as he came: Klara-less. I was still tempted to head up to the tree. Even if he wasn't there, I'd wait. I told myself that I was being stupid, dwelling on someone I hadn't known for more than six weeks, someone who had lied to me the whole time too, but he was the only friend other than Zou Zou that I had for a long time, and at the moment, he was the only one I still considered a friend out of the five friends I had (including Boots).

Boots, by the way, liked the house as much as I did. He was allowed anywhere in the house except for the dining room because Dan could not stand to eat and sneeze. Despite the bad situation between Dan and the furry fiend (as Dan called Boots), Dan obviously liked the cat. At first, Boots was put outside for the day except for a small time when he could come in to have some tuna- which made him gain quite a bit of weight fast- but some time along the way (I don't know when or how it happened) Dan let Boots into the house, and eventually Dan got used to sneezing and even let Boots into his studio. I found that Dan was able to hold in his sneezes and that he would dedicate a time to "Achoo"-ing his head off every minute or so when he was in the studio working. Outside of the studio, however, Dan seemed to lose the strong will not to have green goo all over the fabric and would sneeze insanely. Dana and I would play a game of guessing where Dan was by listening for his sneezes. Dana won most of the time.

And so, with many sneezings, hair games, no Malyda, a chamber pot, food, clothes, and curious meetings with a friend, one of the best months of my life went by. It was a normal day in the house of darling Dana and dearest Dan (they greeted each other like that a lot). I was in the store helping a young lady with a fitting in the dressing rooms, when something caught me by surprise.

"Good day your highness. And to you Sir Gratanon. Coming to claim your garments I presume?" I heard Dan say. I tensed immediately and stood as still as an ice sculpture slowly melting away, or at least wishing it would melt away.

"But of course," Sir Gratanon's low, frosty voice replied. That sent a shiver down my back. Imagine that, an ice sculpture shivering. "We both have a ball to attend to in two weeks. We are also both quite busy, so if we could make this quick."

"Yes, pardon me," Dan apologized, I was not sure what for, but Sir Gratanon's voice would certainly have me apologize for blinking. I shivered again.

"No rush, Dan. We are not as busy as Sir Gratanon insists we are," a friendlier voice said. I smiled lightly and then tensed up a bit as I remembered this wasn't a dream. I may know his true identity as the prince, but he thinks that I am just another lady off on a trip visiting a very special tailor. I chuckled lightly at the twisted twins stupidity.

"I would appreciate it if you finished your duty," the girl I was supposed to be helping into her gown snapped.

"Oh, sorry," I mumbled. I started on the intricate strings in the back of the girl gown, and I had to redo them twice before I got it right.

"What is your name?" she asked, frustrated with me.

"Elora, miss," I replied. The lady in her beautiful red gown looked me in the eye and gave an annoyed glare. This lady was meaner than most I had come across, it didn't seem to be completely her fault though, there seemed to be something on her mind that bothered her. That makes two of us.

The lady exited the dressing room, and I followed hesitantly, making sure to stay out of the view of the prince and Sir Gratanon who were still in the main entrance waiting for the return of Dan. I looked at Jon and noticed how he stood with his hands behind his back as Sir Gratanon did, except Sir Gratanon's seemed casual while Jon's seemed only casual in the way that he had to do it so many times that it stuck. I don't know where the thought came from, but that's the impression I got. I looked over his body, which was in shape, but not obviously muscled. In truth, he was a bit gangly, but it just made him seem more friendly. He stood straight, which made him appear much more confident than his eyes seemed to show. His hazel eyes seemed self-conscious at the moment. I wonder why? Even at the ball he seemed pretty confident. I looked over at the lady I had been attending, wondering when she would be shouting for my assistance and my cover would be blown, but she wasn't focused on me at all. Her and her mother were whispering lightly to each other and giving obvious side glances to the prince. Finally, they snapped out of it when Dan came back with some formal wear.

"The dress is lovely," the ladies mother said, "Let's get you changed out of it." The young lady turned around and could not spot me as I shrunk behind a dress. Oh no, this is were I have to come out and have a horrible time explaining myself. I prayed that Sir Gratanon would insist on leaving on the "important business" they had to attend to.

"El...Elra!" the lady called, "I need your assistance! Where is that girl?" There was a slight pause before I heard the young lady speaking rather dramatically, "Good day your highness. Good day sir Gratanon. Lovely to see you both here," wow, she could be loud, "Sir Barrington, could you please call that young lady who was supposed to be helping me. Elra, or Lora, Ella. Who ever it is, she has not been doing her job." Oh no, the prince is still here _and_ I'll be in trouble with Dan. I closed my eyes, hoping to disappear.

"Elora?" I heard Dan ask inquiringly, with a more sensible volume. Dana was upstairs starting on a more complicated meal for supper.

"Yes, that's the one," the lady said.

"Elora! Elora, we need your help down here!" Dan called, I could tell he was probably calling up the stairs to the house part of the building right now.

Sure enough I heard Dana call back, "She's not up here, dear!"

"No, she's right here," I jumped at the voice next to me.

* * *

A/N: I'm sorry I haven't been back for a long time! It's been like... three... four weeks! OH NO! what is happening to me? has it been longer? I'M LOSING TRACK OF TIME! AH! Anyway, I deeply apologize. I have soccer practice after school until 6 and I ride my bike home and since I"m really pooped I don't get home until like 6:40 (even though I get TO soccer practice in under like 12 minutes, but I am REALLY pooped and I stop now and then) and then I have homework (blast you homework!) and then I have violin (concert on wednesday, AH! And then another in the beginning of March! AH!) and then my mind is too poopy to function! Anyway, I have two things of good news though: first, JON IS BACK! bet your all exited! And second, PARTY TIME! here is the list of food that you can all eat as your dancing under the disco ball on the moon!(I went to a swing dance yesterday from 8-11 and it was fun!) You can now all officially say you have moon walked before HEHE! HERE'S THE FOOD: 

Cookies (of course! I got several requests for that, including my own muahaha), Pickles (pour toi, Mademoiselle Piratess), Cheesecake (as requested by Eleniel of the Stars), lollies, chocolate, doughnuts, bubble gum, ice cream with fudge (for Dreamer at Heart especially... mmm), punch, milk (for the cookies and random enjoyment), soda, pizza, Cadbury cream eggs (panemonium ;)) brownies, and... banana bread! Muahhahahahahahha! ENJOY THE PARTY EVERYONE! I WILL GIVE YOU ALL SOME PARTY CONVERSATION!

**Galasriniel:**

Me: I like Boots too! He doesn't remind me of my cats though, there too stupid.

You: ... (say anything you want)

Me: hehe! One of my cats chases her tail for hours! HOURS!

You: ...

Me: Yeah, well she used to just do it like once every two months, but NOW she does it daily, it's HILARIOUS! She hisses at it and I laugh and go "stupid cat!"

You: ...

Anyway, there's our party conversation! How'd you like it? The tailor guy is cool! I just had to bring him back, people liked him a lot at the beginning. I'm glad the story helps you through algebra because ironically, your phantom story helps me through mine! You really should do something with bubble gum... I can just picture it! muahahahahhaa!

**panemonium:**

Me: THE POWER!

You: ... (probably something along the lines of "you're insane" as you shake your head)

Me: Ain't I though? It's all so terrible! MUAHAHHAHAHAHHA! you like your Cadbury cream eggs by the way?

You: OF COURSE! (I know your gonna say that... I just do... or I don't and I'm just being a freak)

end of party convo. And there is no way I can write three chapters and post them, no matter how much I'd like to. I ain't got the time at ALL! It's really sad. It's 12:30 am! Oh lord, me head hurts! Ow! Ooooh! I'm so tired. I shall dance it off (dances and trips) OW! Me poor swollen ankle! DAMN YOU SOCCER! (soccer god comes down on me!) I mean... DAMN YOU SPIDER MAN! (soccer god disappears and spider web just misses Mia's head) uh oh. All questions shall be answered in the story and the boom will soon come up when I'm not stuck in such a tangle. (Webs trap Mia) I DIDN'T MEAN TANGLE LITERALLY!

**_v:_**

Me: I love saying hip hip huzzah! Let's say it together!

You: ... (say yey or nay or just look at me funny or whatever!)

Me: Hip Hip...

You: Huzzah!

Me and you: Hip Hip Huzzah!

I was gonna post it as one chapter, but then I didn't because they didn't seem very one chaptery, oh and also because the second one was long as it was. Hope you liked the party and our party conversation (Me: I loved it! You: ...indeed)

**Dreamer at heart:**

Me: I like your name, it's magical. Hehe... the word magical always makes me think of lucky charms!

You: ... (say something magical... or delicious! What ever one works! Hehe!)

Me: My favorites are the clovers and the moons! They taste the best!

You: ... (says what your favorite is)

so... what IS your favorite marshmallow goodness of lucky charms? I had the party on the moon just like you requested. It actually worked out great except some of the food drifted a little to far away (oops) but have no fear! There's PLENTY of food! Muahaha!

**Miss Piratess:**

Me: heehee. Your reviews made me laugh. They are slightly random, but I know what your talking about! Muahahahah!

You: ... (says something random)

Me: See! I understood that! Even though technically I haven't gotten your response yet... but oh well! Hope youlike the pickles

You: ... (another random coolness)

Oh lord. It's late. I'm getting tired. Throw something at me! (Pie hits my face) that worked! And again... enjoy the pickles! Or would you rather have some pie? (Grins evilly)

**Eleniel of the Stars:**

Me: mmm... cheesecake! Good choice!

You: ... (will you say "mmm" too or will you be random? YOU DECIDE!)

Me: Wait! AH! It's floating away! See, that's the problem about having parties on the moon!

You:... (holding on to your cheesecake tight I presume... hehe)

And you are welcome for the cheesecake! Things are looking up! But now Elora is in quite the awkward situation! Oh no! What will happen? Bum bum BUM! Hehe! Enjoy the cheesecake and feel free to eat as much of anything as you want and dance the night away!

**laurashrub:**

Me: YEY! NO ROCKS! I have many bad experiences with rocks.

You: ... (I don't know what you've said yet, that's for you to decide. If I put in your words for you than it's just a conversation with myself! Muahaha)

Me: Yeah... there was this one time where this boy threw a snowball at me, but it had a rock in it and it hit my head and it really hurt!

You: ...

Rocks... EVIL I TELL YOU! I like cats, they're funnyful! Enjoy the party!

**Sirenic Griffin:**

Me: Oh no! What happened to your computer?

You: ... (tell me the story)

Me: My word! That's scary! Stupid scary computers!

You: ...

Me: evilness!

That's scary, computers scare me sometimes! They are rather messed up! And they are TOO SMART! AH! But I like them, they are quite nifty with homework and writing and reading cool stuff. By the way... UPDATE YOUR STORY! muahahahaha!

_**Sara:**_

Me: Sorry I took so long. Stinky soccer!

You: ...

Me: I really love it though! It's fun and violent! I have a swollen ankle and many bruises from it! AND I'M STILL PLAYING! muahahahaha! Anyway enjoy the party!

You: ...

**Taniny-niisy: **

Me: I like to say that me. And yes, you influenced me quite a bit on that tailor stuff, now put down the axe or I'll go get the gold one you gave me. Muahahaha!

You: ... (I don't know what you're gonna say so... surprise me!

Me: aw! Saio still bothering you! Just remind him that he broke down and tell him that I was laughing at him with my axe and he should be silent! Then when he's getting angry at me, give him some food from me! Muahahahaha, brilliant!

You: ... (again... surprise me)

Me: Really!

You: ...

Me: My oh my.

You haven't told me where your gallery is! Is it just like Or something? Or what? AH! Confuzzlement! ah! Where is it? anyway. Have fun at the party!

TELL ME WHAT YOU SAID TO ME AT THE PARTY EVERYONE! this will be... intersting! Oh lord! It's 1am! need sleep, but must party! (Does a tired moon dance)

much food, parties, and sleep depravation,

Mia


	17. One Month Ago

Jon was standing next to me with an odd quirk in his eyebrows. I expected him to be smiling- _wanted_ him to be smiling was more like it- but his lips were curved slightly downward if anything. There was an uncomfortable air between us and I wondered if maybe he had forgotten the month we spent laughing together, but I knew that wasn't true when I saw his lips take a turn slightly upward. I smiled back and then realized my station.

"Your highness," I said, curtsying low and suddenly, bumping the wire model that hung next to me. I stood erect immediately and saved it from tipping over and then realized I had broken my curtsy. I dipped down again, being sure to step away from the wire figure. I was waiting for a cue, for him to greet me in return allowing me to stand up, but I heard nothing. I looked up at him from my curtsy. His smile was not present and his face drooped a bit, as if there was something weighing him down and I guessed it was his thoughts.

"So . . . you are working here?" he asked. I heard agitation and confusion in his voice. Oh no! He had thought I was on vacation the whole time! At least I can rise.

"Well, actually . . . you see . . . " I mumbled as I stood upright, not sure of how to answer.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, your highness, but I must be on my way and I require her assistance," the young lady I was supposed to be serving said.

"Fetch someone else to do the job!" the prince snapped. The lady and I shrank back at the harshness in his highness's voice.

I saw Sir Gratanon come up behind the prince and heard Dan call up the stairs for Dana to come down. He realized that this situation was . . . complicated, and I sent him a mental thanks for his understanding and cooperation. I looked at the prince and then at Sir Gratanon who gave a curious smile behind him. I had almost expected him to scold the prince, but his eyes were fixed on me. His cold gaze made me feel even more trapped than before.

"Lovely to see you, Lady Elora. I was beginning to wonder if you would return from your trip at all," he teased, causing me to shiver. Jon spun on him.

"Do not play games Arturus," the prince said roughly to his face, he then turned to me, "What . . . why are you . . . when . . . how . . . " the man before me mumbled lightly, confusion dripping in his voice, "What is . . . all this?" I heard him say.

"Well . . . I . . . it's . . . complicated . . ." I managed to say. I was now looking down at the wood floor I stood on. I found myself fascinated with the swirl of the wood, though I knew very well it interested me naught. I heard Jon laugh lightly, but it was not entirely friendly and I did not raise my head. It was a confused laugh, one that didn't know whether to die down to nothing or to boom until it shook the walls. Eventually it did die down, and when it did I was surprised to find a strong hand grab my wrist and pull me abruptly forward. I let myself be pulled across the shop quickly without taking my gaze away from my father's comfortable boots on my feet. I realized we were outside when the nice spring breeze hit my face, but I still did not look up. I stepped quickly into a carriage without protest and stared down at my wrists which had been released.

"What are you doing your highness?" I heard Sir Gratanon ask.

"I am getting some answers," Jon answered as he closed the door to the carriage and ran around the other side and into his seat next to me. "Driver, start the carriage." We trotted off now. Both of us were silent and I looked at my hands most of the time, only stealing a couple glances at the prince who was looking at me with such an overwhelming expression that I had to look back at my hands again to start my breathing again before I suffocated. "Stop here, please," Jon ordered, and the carriage stopped. I heard the prince exit the carriage, walk around quickly, open my door, grab my wrist and pull me out in a hurry. I didn't mind, but I wondered what he was doing. Where was he taking me? I looked up for a moment to look at our surroundings, but was only able to make out that there were trees around us, I was too focused on the way his light brown hair bounced lightly with his frustrated steps. I looked at his hand on my wrist. It hurt- hurt quite a bit actually- but I didn't mind. He led me up a hill. We walked slightly upward for what seemed like an eternity before we stopped.

I didn't have to look up to know where we were. I could taste it in the air, feel it in the breeze, hear it in the rustle of the trees, and smell the light scent of what had to be magic. I didn't have to lift my head to know where we were, but I did, and I found that a tear escaped my eye as I looked at the place I loved so well. I was only barely aware of Jon's hold on me loosening, of him turning to look at me, of his expression softening. I only vaguely realized him walking me up closer to the beautiful green tree. It was so beautiful too. Its leaves seemed to shimmer radiantly against the sun that hung high above our heads and its brown bark looked so warm to touch. I looked at the designs the bark and leaves made intently, happy to be back after so long. Had it really been almost four months since I last saw it? It was too long. I felt slightly detached from it, as if my time apart had taken me from it. I stepped forward and looked for the ladder that would lead me up into its house, forgetting that Jon was there right next to me. I reached out to the tree's trunk to climb up and found that . . . it wasn't there! I had chosen the wrong spot! I circled around the tree frantically, looking for my way up. I couldn't find it! I had been away too long! I had forgotten where it was! Tears streamed down my face as I searched relentlessly. Where was it? Why can't I find it? I stood still and tried to calm myself. I wiped my tears away and stood before it. Again I walked around, and again I could not find it. I slumped into the grass and buried my face in my skirt.

"I can't find it," I mumbled to no one at all. I jumped at a hand on my shoulder and remembered that Jon was there. I looked at him crouched next to me. We just looked at each other and he looked at me in a way I could not identify. "I'm sorry," I finally said, "I'm sorry I ran off at the ball, I was just confused. I'm sorry I didn't come to see you, I was scared of what you would think about me . . . because there are things you don't know . . . things I am still not sure I would want you to know. I'm sorry for thinking that too. I'm simply sorry . . . I'm sorry," I wiped my tears away, looked into Jon's hazel eyes, and gave a small laugh, "So much has happened, so much I might have prevented, but didn't. Now I am here, crying in the grass under a tree I am unable to climb."

Jon lifted me to my feet right then and took my hand. He brought me before the tree and lifted my hand before the bark. "One month ago," he said. He looked at me then, and I could tell he was making a decision. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he smiled and started again. "One month ago." I watched as he paused, smiled, and looked at my hand which he still held up. "One month ago," he said for the third time, "I fell in love with you."

Two shocks hit me at once as his words reached my ears and my hands touched one of the grooves of the tree.

* * *

A/N: yes yes yes! 'Tis short and I haven't updated in a long time! This is the best I can do right now though! I have to go help my sis prepare for her audition tomorrow (Zou Zou is getting OBSESSED with cello) and I have soccer and violin and school and friends etc. you all know the drill! Anyway! I am making an experiment! I have gotten a review that says my review responses are a tad bit too long (yes, only about half the chapter! That's TINY! Catch the sarcasm?). I've actually been expecting something like that for a while, but since no one spoke up I figured that maybe I was just being paranoid and my review responses WEREN'T too long (hehe). So now I am making an experiment! I am going to only give one word to each of you and you have to figure out what it's for! Muahahahahahahaha! What word will you get? And so we begin: 

**Dreamer at heart:** CLOVERS!

**Sirenic Griffin:** ...big!

**_v:_** yey!

**Galasriniel:** BUBBLEGUM!

**Akwyn:** cookies!

**_anonymous:_** (wink)

**panemonium:** yes

**_Nosilla_**: sleep!

**Miss Piratess:** RANDOM!

**laurashrub:** ROCKS!

**Lulai:** GROSS!

**_Jess: _**BOO!

That's all folks (shrinks inside the big black hole in the circles of red and yellow)!

Many words to all (well, just one... but oh well!),

Mia


	18. Our Secret

I stared at him intently for a moment, not sure how to react. Jon looked at me in turn, waiting for my response with a hopeful and hesitant stare. I didn't know what to do. Do I say that I love him too? Do I love him? I don't know. I do not think so. He was my friend- a friend whose face I had only seen once before. Of course, the idea of something more played in my head sometimes, but I never really thought of him as more than the boy I knew from my tree.

Undecided on what to say, I turned to face the other thing that had taken me by surprise. I looked at my hand with my mouth agape. I could see the ladder clearly now, see the grooves in the tree that I had searched for so hard earlier, the way up I had discovered when I was just a little girl. I looked at how Jon's hand still held mine right on the groove- which seemed to glow now along with the other grooves as if to say, "I was here all along!" I felt slightly ill when I realized Jon knew the secret of the tree. When had Jon discovered it? _How _had he discovered it?

As if reading my thoughts, the man next to me explained, "I found the... ladder last month. I had come to the tree almost every day since the ball. I wanted to see you, to make sure we were still friends, but when you were not there, all I could do was wait." There was a silence again. I could tell he was still waiting for me to say something, but I could only let my gaze fall on his boots. Jon heaved a long sigh and then gave a small laugh, "I think I circled that tree several hundred times trying to find out how you got up there. I swear that it was mocking me every time I made my visit. I felt like it knew every little thing about you while I only knew what I could learn from others-" I turned to him with a quirk in my eyebrow.

"Learned from others?" I asked, interrupting him. My voice sounded odd to me; not different, just unknown, like I hadn't heard it for a hundred years. Jon looked back down at me. I could tell he wasn't sure what to say by his panicked and embarrassed expression.

"Yes... well... I asked around about you... at court... among other places..." he trailed off.

"What did you learn?" I asked. I knew what he learned, and I knew I probably didn't want to hear it, but I still asked the question. What did he know?

"Well... I didn't learn much, but I heard that you..." he started, looking down at me hesitantly. I smiled at him, which took him by surprise. I knew he didn't want to hurt me. I knew he understood that my past hurt. Some how, this made it easier for me to confront it.

"That I was left on the Baron's door step," I did not state it as a question, but as a fact. Jon nodded at this. I continued, "That my origin is unknown," another nod from Jon, "And that my adoptive father died at sea several years ago, leaving me to depend on Malyda." Jon gave a final nod. It did hurt to say the words, but I actually felt relieved to say it out loud.

"I also learned that Lady Aimon-" I flinched as he gave Malyda my father's last name, Jon paused at my flinch.

"If you are to call her anything, call her Lady Cifelam," I told him, using her maiden name. He nodded and then went on.

"I was told that she had you serve her after your adoptive father died," the prince said. This took me by surprise. I found that I was biting my lip again- something I hadn't done for most of my stay with Dana and Dan- reopening part of the scar on my lip . Finally I snapped out of it.

"Where did you learn of that?" I asked. The prince hesitated for a moment.

"A... a maid told me. A maid from Lady- I mean- your estate." I was taken aback for a moment at Jon calling the estate mine, but I was able to let it go when I realized who the maid must be.

"You spoke with Zou Zou?" I questioned.

"Well... she didn't give me her name... but Lady A- Cifelam called her 'Claire'," the prince said.

"That would be Zou Zou," I told him, and then, with a shaky voice, "How much did she tell you?" Jon smiled at this.

"She threatened to throw me in thefireplaceif I did anything foolish that might come to harm you, but when I asked her where you were she said that she would prefer not to throw _herself_ in thefireplace and she left," Jon chuckled. I found myself laughing too. When I looked back into Jon's eyes, I could tell that he was waiting for my response on... the other... subject he had brought up. The silence- or maybe the tension- made me realize that my arm hurt a great deal and I found that Jon still held my arm against the groove in the tree. What was I doing here with him? I thought about making a run for it, but my skirt and the fact that Jon was slightly taller than me canceled that option out. I also thought about pretending to faint, pretending to be insane, confusing him by spontaneously dancing as my get away, faking a lower voice and saying "I'm terribly sorry chap, but me name is truly _Sir_ Elora, so you can't be in love with me, unless there is somethin' I don't know about," but I concluded that none of those would work due to their absurdity- except for the insane one, which- considering I wouldn't have to _pretend_ to be insane- might actually work. I also thought about throwing my arms around him, kissing him deeply, telling him all he had yet to know about me, and then kissing him again, but that just seemed as absurd as the other plans- his eyes and his lips made it tempting, but no less crazy. After this cycle of thought, I recognized two things. First, my arm _really_ did hurt. Second, Jon was giving me funny glances.

"What is it?" I asked, curiously. He laughed at this.

"I was about to ask you the same thing. Your face was making quite the odd expressions," Jon remarked. I thought about my face, and in fact did realize that I was squinting my right eye, scrunching my nose, and was biting my lip again. I smoothed out my face again, embarrassed, as Jon chuckled. Then he looked at me again. "What is the story?" he asked.

"What 'story'?" I questioned back.

"You story- the story behind the tree?" I froze, and my hand dropped from the tree, releasing from the prince's grasp. I felt sick and knew that my face must be pale. I looked down at my boots- my fathers boots, and took a step back. "Elora?" I heard him say, as I shook my head, "Are you all right?" I stepped back again, then I looked up.

"Did you climb in to the tree?" I asked him.

"Well... yes... but I-" he sounded worried, but that meant nothing to me as I interrupted him.

"How many times?" He went up the tree; he climbed into me and my father's place!

"Once," the prince started, "Last month when I found the ladder. I didn't go up again though. I... I felt as though I was trespassing and I-" but he stopped at the way my body shook, "Elora?"

"It was mine and my father's... just ours... our place..." I trembled with my quivering speech. I felt some hands sturdy on my shoulder.

"Elora... Elora..." I heard.

"No one else knew... no one... it was our secret... our secret..."

"I'm sorry, Elora... I didn't know..." I slumped to the ground- the other person going down with me, hands still on my shoulders. A tear slipped through my eyelashes, but I wiped it away and straightened up the kneel I was in. I looked up at the man before, the man who had taken my father's secret away from me. "I am sorry... when I went up... I still didn't know how special it was for you... it was then... when I found out about your secret... that I fell in... I love you, Elora," I took a deep breath in at his words, "I won't climb up again... I'm sorry... I-"

"It's all right," I cut in. The words that came from my mouth were quite, but enough for him to stop. "I suppose it's about time I accepted he wasn't coming back; that it was just _my _secret now and that father wasn't there any more to keep the secret with me." I looked right into the prince's eyes and saw all the concern inside of them. "I can't say that I love you," I told him. He gave a nod at this. It was a sad nod, a disappointed one, but I could see that he had expected me to say something like that in response to his declaration. "But," I continued, "I would like to learn more about you."

"I will tell you anything you want," Jon swore. I didn't have any questions at the moment, but I did have something I wanted to hear from him.

"Could you promise not to go up into the tree for me? At least not until I'm ready."

"Of course," he assured with a nod and a tighter hold on my shoulders.

"And you won't tell anyone of this place?"

"No one will know save for you," he vowed. I chuckled lightly (and a little sadly), watched Jon wonder what it was about, and then figure it out with a light smile. "And me, obviously."

"Thank you," I said. Jon nodded- almost bowed- as if to seal the promises he made earlier.

I chose that moment to do one my insane plans. I leaned in and kissed him. At first I felt him tense up in surprise, but then his body- and his lips- softened and leaned into me, returning the kiss. For a moment, I felt... warm, but that ended as I pulled away quickly and got on my feet. What was I doing?

I turned to leave, sending one glance up to the sun which had lowered quite a bit, another glance to the tree for remembrance for the next visit, and a final glance to the prince who looked at me with a confusion filled with many emotions. I started making my way out of the clearing and down the hill.

"Wait!" Not a moment after I heard the shout from behind me did I feel a hand on my shoulder. I stood still, but did not turn.

"I still do not know... what has been... happening to you," I heard the soft, low voice mumble.

"Another day," I said simply, walking forward.

"When?" I heard again. I stopped, then shook my head and stepped forward. I'm not for you! Don't you understand? "Come to the ball this month," he pleaded. I'm just a poor, orphan girl! "Come and we can tell each other all of ourselves!" I'm not for you! "Maybe we could practice a little dancing!" he joked. But-

"All right," I heard myself say.

"So you will come?" No!

"Yes," I mumbled.

"Do you promise?" I can't!

"I promise to go to the ball," I whispered. I stepped forward and started walking. The prince stepped in front of me and clasped my wrists. I looked up at him.

"Thank you," he said. I nodded- almost bowed- as if to seal my promise. What was I doing?

I felt his lips against mine. I tensed, and then relaxed and returned the kiss.

* * *

A/N: Sorry it's taken me so long to update. I haven't had any time what so ever! I finished my last concert a couple days ago, so I have that out of the way. My sister is upstairs watching Phantom of the Opera for the third or fourth time in a row today, it's good, but I am rather disappointed that they don't have the Phantom singing "Learn to Be Lonely"! I love that song! But oh well! Experiment from last chapter... unsuccessful! I don't think you guys liked those dinky little review responses... so... no more of that! I'm sorry for those who hate the giant responses, but I'M GOING BACK TO THEM! Muahahaha! Anyway. I WILL get back to them... when I have the time to write them! Oooh ooh ooh! Get ready for adventure and excitement within the next... 2-4 chapters (I know I say that a lot, but I'm serious)! It will be magnificent... so get ready! And next chapter... BIG REVIEW RESPONSE! 

Love to all,

Mia


	19. Walking with the Stars

"It's beautiful!" I gawked in the mirror as I twisted lightly in the amazing dress.

"Mow!" Boots stated his agreement. I turned to Dan and smiled.

"Thank you, it's the most dazzling thing I've ever worn!"

"You... have no need to thank me, Elora. It was... a pleasure... to create it for you," he said, holding back a sneeze. Dana was holding my hand tightly, and I turned to give her a weak smile. Every moment I came closer to the ball, I felt a little weaker; a little more fearful.

I had received more visits from the prince- along with a couple uncomfortable strolls with Sir Gratanon- after I had been discovered, but I had not shared a word about my... full experience, reminding Jon repeatedly the promise I had given him to tell him at _the ball_. Mostly, we talked about politics and our own goals in life. I did ask Jon not to give away my location, as I feared that it might lead to a confrontation with Malyda or the twins. I did not say anything to Sir Gratanon, but I do not think he said anything, as I did not see Malyda or her daughters any time except for when they came to the shop; at which point I went into temporary hiding.

One day, Zou Zou brought me some shocking news about her investigations on the Malyda-Gratanon Treaty, as we so named it. Apparently, Sir Gratanon had an argument with Malyda! When I heard this I gave a sigh of relief, for their argument surely must have meant their deal was off and that Klara would not be marrying Jon. This followed a curious, suggestive look from Zou Zou, but I immediately brushed- having quite given up on telling myself I didn't care about the prince- it away and we moved on to new matters including a glamorous fight between the twisted twins that ended in two beautiful pouts, one shrill scream, several ripped locks of glorious hair, and one dress torn with a very sharp fingernail- all over a pair of earrings no less! Even though our talk held many things in it, somehow we still ended on the matter of a certain prince.

I was just beginning to dream about one of the conversations when a nearby voice chanted to me.

"Elora, are you walking with the stars again?" Dana's sing-songy voice asked. My eyesight refocused and I looked down at Dana's grinning face with my own dazed expression. I snapped myself out of it with a small shake of my head and I managed to return her smile.

"No, I was talking to the sun," I answered, my normal response to her phrase.

"Well, now your back, and you have a ball to attend!" she exclaimed enthusiastically, which was followed by a loud "Achoo!" from Dan and his own input of agreement. I nodded my head with a small grin and stepped off the platform. The moment I had stepped down, Dana quickly swept up my rebellious hair, twisted it about quickly, and pinned it up with something. When I took a backwards glance at my reflection, I saw the gold and blue, star clip that matched my dress and gave a small laugh. The gown was a dark blue with a slight green gleam to bring out my eyes and all across it were embroidered, glittering, gold, stars. I guess I really was "walking with the stars", or at least in them. I turned back to the two people who had given me so much support the past two months.

"Thank you both so much," I said gratefully.

"Again, no need to thank us," Dan repeated as he wiped his nose with a kerchief.

"Of course there is! And I will always be thankful for it!" I leaned in and hugged them both. How could he even say that? They had done more for me than most people ever had!

"You are very welcome darling," Dana said, returning the hug. "Now, it is time you were off! You can thank us some more when you get back," she joked, pushing me away from her and out the door.

"I still would have liked it more if you two would come with me," I said as I stood in front of the carriage.

"Well, there is nothing to do now," Dana said.

"But-" I protested, partly hoping they would tell me I could stay if I wanted. My fear for what was to come was rising now that it was drawing nearer.

"We are too old for any balls," Dan said with a grin. Dana smacked him playfully in the shoulder.

"Do speak for yourself!" she exclaimed. Dan laughed and caught her in a small kiss. I smiled, turning my head in slight embarrassment.

"You are always young in my eyes, darling Dana," Dan proclaimed, giving her another small kiss as she smiled up at him. It was then that I realized why they where not joining me. This was their opportunity to have some alone time. I climbed into the carriage Dan had rented for me (Dan and Dana normally walked and only rented a carriage if it was necessary), and said my farewell to them.

"So, we can expect you back at one?" Dana asked, turning her gaze from her husband-whose eyes where still fixed on her- to me. I nodded.

"But I may be earlier if... the situation gets complicated," I replied.

"Of course," Dana complied, understanding my fear of Malyda, though not my fear of Jon, "Farewell then!" Dana added as the carriage started up.

"Enjoy yourself!" Dan called.

"Thank you one again!" I shouted back, sticking my head outside the window and waving, "Good bye!"

I played with my skirt and star jewelry as the carriage continued down the road. I wouldn't break my promise, but part of myself wished I could, while another part felt excited to finally have Jon understand me. My fear rose a bit as the carriage entered the castle walls that surrounded the palace and my hand moved to the star necklace Dana had given me. The carriage came to a stop before the palace and I untangled my fingers from the necklace as the door was opened by the footman who then helped me out of the carriage. My carriage rolled away and the footman released my hand to assist the next ladies out of their carriage. I looked up at the palace before me, for though I lived so close to it and had always seen it from the tree, I had never seen it up close.

My first impression was that though it was big, it was not the immense size I had expected it to be. It was more like what a small cottage might be to a giant. My second impression was that it was bright. Though it was dusk, and the light was dim, the castle itself was bright with the hanging of many torches from the towers and around the door. The stone seemed to reflect this light, making the castle all the more brilliant. My conclusion was that it was perhaps the most beautiful place I had ever seen, and for some reason, this scared me even more.

I took a deep breath and made my way up the stairs. The large wood doors to the palace were open wide, but there were fine, red curtains that blocked my view to the inside. As I approached it, I heard more and more of the bickering and music I could tell was normal for a ball, but unlike the sounds I heard at Malyda's parties, these were a little more joyful and uplifting and I knew that I was about to enter real court life. Again I took a breath as the two servants on each side of myself opened the curtains to reveal the vibrance of the ball.

I could smell perfumes, flowers, and the spices and scents of some of the hors d'oeuvres- along with the not so appealing smell of sweat and... someone who had broken wind. The music was loud enough to hear and dance to, but not so loud that you couldn't hear your own conversation and perhaps even eaves drop on your neighbor to collect some new gossip. Gold statuettes protruded from the walls and from the elevated hallways that led to the other rooms and places of the castle. A luscious, red carpet lie under my feet and down the long staircase, only stopping as it met the marble floor where dancing and gossip moved about. I was so occupied with the place that surrounded me had barely noticed that I had ignored the heralds request for my title and that I was about to walk out onto the first step when I took an unexpected dip. My heart raced as I grabbed for the rail and I let out a sigh as I steadied myself. I backed up from the stairs and turned to the herald who was giving me a look that I interpreted as wonderment at my stupidity.

"I am terribly sorry," I said with a smile, "I'm slightly knew at this." The herald just gave a nod that implied an apology from any lady, even a clumsy one, was not needed.

"Your title, miss?" he asked.

"Elora Aimon-" I hesitated, "Apprentice seamstress," I finally said, not knowing exactly what to call myself. I wanted to put in my father's name somewhere, but I didn't know how, so I settled with my new occupation, finding it surprisingly appropriate. The herald quirked an eyebrow at my "title", but did not object and turned out to the crowd.

He was about to make his announcement when he was interrupted by a sudden, "Wait!" The herald immediately turned around and gave a bow to the man who was running down the hall and over to me. I turned to the prince and curtsied to the best of my horribly lacking ability, saying an awkward "your highness". "Oh please do not give me any of that!" Jon insisted, offering an arm out to me, "I did not run all the way up the eastern stairs and down the hall just to find you had become another witless formality, Elora." I heard some mumbles from the ladies and gentlemen who stood in line behind me at his highness's casualness. I accepted his arm, but gave Jon a stiff, though playful glare as we descended the stairs. I ignored the mumbles that rose up at the announcing of his highness descending the stairs with and assistant seamstress and I brushed away the familiar odd stares I received.

"And I certainly would not want to send you running all the way back because you've become a forgetful _in_formality!" I declared, sarcastically, "Did we not have a discussion about what I was to be called in public, your highness?"

Jon suppressed a grin before he responded, "Forgive me. I must have lost myself in worrying for your safety," he quirked an eyebrow as he tugged at my own arm slightly, "There are many stairs are there not, _Elora_?" He tugged my arm again. I couldn't help but giggle at his unsuccessful attempt to be malicious.

"Oh, so the puppy wishes to see me dead, does he?" I asked, wondering if he would know what I meant.

"Arf," Jon mumbled.

"Was that affirmative or negative?" I questioned.

"Negative," I heard him say softly, and I stumbled slightly on the step, retrieving myself with the help of the princes stable arm. We hit the marble floor after that and Jon turned to me. "May I have the next dance?" he asked. I couldn't help but smile.

"Do you have a death wish?" I answered him with a question.

"No," he smiled, "But a couple holes in my feet is quite worth the time with you."

"A couple holes?" I laughed, as the last song ended, "Sir, I accept your offer, but do be warned that by the time the chaos has ended you will not _have_ feet!" Jon let out a great laugh and led me out to the dance floor. My innards began to twist as the music started up and I gave a small sigh when I realized it was a slower song and that nobody was lined up in any order, so I was safe from perfectly choreographed steps. Jon placed his hand at my waist, pulled me in a little closer, lifted my hand in his and I put my hand on his shoulder.

"Be prepared, we are going to be spinning quite a bit," he whispered.

"What?" I asked.

"We will be spinning... fast," he explained. And as he said that, the intro took a small pause before the tune started up again with enormous speed. I let out a small screech as I was thrown about a lot. Jon's feet were moving so fast that even my large shoes couldn't catch his. I couldn't step on his feet if I tried.

"Ow!" Or so I thought.

"Sorry!" I apologized.

"You warned me," He smiled, keeping the spinning going.

"Yes... I did," I huffed, getting tired from the dance.

Around and around we spun, surprisingly not bumping into anyone in the chaotic swirl. When we final stopped on the final chord to raise our hands in applause for the orchestra, I was proud to find I only stepped on Jon's feet five times, though I was still embarrassed when he tried to hide a wince from me. I thought about apologizing, and then decided against it when he turned to me with a serious glance.

"Elora," he took one of my hands, "Shall we go out in the gardens for... so you can... tell me your story?" My eyes widened as my chest tightened. I had forgotten all about that! I nodded painfully and let Jon lead me out of the dance floor.

"Elora! I have been looking for you. Oh, good evening your highness," a perfectly, glorious voice called out to us. My shoulders tightened as I turned to face the one woman I hated most.

"Good evening, Lady Malyda," Jon greeted her. I think he growled a bit.

"Lovely ball, as per usual. Although I didn't expect to see you here Elora, you were so worn from your travel," Malyda said with a slight, hinting twang in her words which was obviously directed at me, though blended in well enough with her voice that it seemed perfectly innocent. I wasn't fooled, and from Jon's expression, he wasn't either. "Klara! Claira!" Malyda cooed to her daughters who had suddenly appeared, "Isn't it lovely! Elora was able to make it after all. I can't help but suspect that your pleas to your dear..." here, Malyda hesitated with an almost unnoticeable disgust, "Your dear sister were successful!"

"It's marvelous to see so!" Claira exclaimed, "perfect angel" dripping from her words. Only I could see the fire raging in her sapphire eyes, though I believe Jon suspected so much.

"Oh Elora! How fantastic!" Klara yelped, approaching me and clasping one of my arms, "I was just thinking of how much you would have liked to meet Sir Tudin, he is the French Ambassador and quite the character. You must be introduced!"

"I was actually about to have a stroll with the prince," I said forcefully as Klara started to drag me away from Jon. I turned back to Jon, who was still holding my hand and was casting annoyed glances at Malady and her minions.

"You would not mind, would you highness?" Miss Malady asked with a power that would make anyone- even myself- feel guilty for saying "no".

Or almost anyone, as Jon responded with a forceful, "Truly, I would mind greatly." I gaped at him, for inside his eyes I saw a fire almost as large as Klara's. I jumped lightly as I felt some sharp nails dig into my arm.

"Very well," Klara said, barely saving herself from hissing, "I hope you both enjoy your stroll."

"I will," I assured her as she released her grip on me. I had spoken a little early though, and Klara was able to scratch my arm fiercely at my comment. Jon and I turned around without another word, but I felt Jon stop cold as Malyda strung another bow.

"I feel like a stroll myself," she said, almost spitefully, "I am sure my daughters would love to breathe some fresh air. May we join-"

"No, you may not," Jon said coldly as he picked up the pace and headed quickly to the doors to the gardens, but it seemed that our escape from Malyda and the twins would come to naught, for we were but three steps from our exit when another, lower voice called out to us.

"Jonaldo!" We turned around and I immediately swept into a curtsy.

"Your majesty," I stammered out, though my words were ignored as the king kept speaking.

"Where did you get the idea that I had dismissed you?" King Regamort scolded quietly- as not to draw attention to the situation, though his words were fierce. "As a result of your sudden disappearance, you have insulted several of our politicians!"

"I'm sorry, Father. I was not aware-" Jon said, apparently attempting at keeping calm in front of the king.

"No you are not aware! You have responsibilities! You can not go running about while you have political obligations to attend to!" Though the prince surpassed his father in height slightly, the king seemed to tower over his son just through his words.

"I swear I will try-"

"No! You will not _try _harder! You must _do _better! I will not have you ignoring your country to philander with some girl!" I paled and stepped back a moment. Though I had lowered my eyes, I could just make out the king looking on me. He hesitated in his rage, and I looked up to see many emotions flash through the king's eyes. Anger stood foremost, but I also caught a sign of guilt, anguish and... was it care?

"Father, Lady Elora is not 'some girl' and I have certainly not philandered with her," the prince defended me with an equal volume and quality to his voice as that of the king's, "I am sorry for my absence earlier, but do not put any blame upon Lady Elora." I lowered my head, standing off to the side of Jon with my hands clasped together.

"My apologies, Lady Elora," the king said. Part of his words were cold, and part of his words sounded as though he were apologizing for all the bad that had ever happened to me. I felt awkward, not knowing quite what to say to a king's apology. I shook my head, raised my head, and gave a smile with the most confidence I could muster, which was, luckily, quite a bit. I hoped the smile would say enough for my forgiveness, but the king stood stone still at it and I felt the need to speak up.

"No need, Majesty," I said, carefully choosing my words, "I realize... that your words were not so directed to me... as they were to relieve your own stress." Still, the king stood still, gazing at me, and Jon made no move to speak either, so I kept going. "Though... I can not understand your situation fully, you should know that his highness has spoken much about his current politics to me." I hesitated, wondering if mentioning familiarity with Jon would anger the king, but I resolved it didn't matter as Jon did truthfully speak of his responsibilities as a prince, and not without joy much of the time. "His highness takes on his role with nobility," I continued, "Though he's made some errors, I am sure they are never too serious, or he would not have the same enthusiasm he for his role."

The king shook his head lightly and then said, "Very true. This can be easily fixed," the king then turned to his son and proclaimed, "You must meet with these persons immediately." Jon looked to me and then quickly back to his father.

"Father, this is a ball, surely it is not so important,"

"It is not a matter of importance, Jonaldo, it is a matter of principal." Jon nodded in defeat, though still keeping his shoulders high so as to keep his honor in the presence of his father. His fathers words were framed in a way that made it obvious that they had been well recited, and because of this, they held great authority over Jon. The prince turned to me, probably hoping I could pull out another speech so that we could leave and I could tell him all my deepest secrets. Instead I gave him a slight nod, telling him to choose the more noble path.

He nodded in return, stood taller than before and said simply, "Very well," to his father before turning to me and saying, "Save another dance for me?"

"Have you written your Will?" I smiled. Jon laughed while giving me an imploring glance which I returned with a nod. King and Prince then walked away through the gallant hall filled with beautiful people, sounds, and smells, leaving me behind. Immediately a thought crossed my mind, one that had a larger affect on my emotions than I thought it would: I could never be with Jon.

* * *

A/N: Okay, so I know I said I would do a review response. ButI have to get to class,so... no review response THERE'S THE BELL! AH:( Sorry. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the long chapter in celebration of surpassing 160 reviews! Thank you all so much for the support and get ready because I'm expecting to get this done in no more than three months! It will probably only be two, but I'm not sure because I'm pretty busy this summer. LOVE TO YOU ALL! HERE! HAVE SOME COOKIES!

Much thank yous to all and to all a chocolate chip cookie,

Mia

PS: I'm soooo sorry! I PROMISE ON ALL THE TURTLE SUNDAES IN EXISTENCE THAT I WILL DO A REVIEW RESPONSE NEXT TIME!


	20. The Fountain

"Blasted feet," I muttered as I lifted my skirt and dangled my feet into the fountain and I sat on the edge. I placed Zou Zou's shoes with the stockings tucked into them on the rim of the fountain next to me. After "dancing" for such a long time, I really needed a foot break.

I had been dancing most of the night, only just curtsying with one partner to be whisked away by another. I would have said no to them all (except for one very handsome gentleman with dark, blue eyes that no one could refuse), but I always saw Malyda or one of her disturbingly, dangerous daughters, and so my only escape was dancing nonstop. The poor gentlemen didn't realize that I didn't know one step of the dances. Surprisingly, my stepping all over their feet until you'd swear they would explode from the swelling didn't stop the flow of dances. Most of my partners were older men- mostly in their late forties to fifties- who had a tendency to ask some questions. The conversation was fine, but I felt very uncomfortable when they asked of my parentage. I didn't know quite what to say. Mostly, I said that I never knew my mother (in a way that implied she died) and that my father died at sea several years ago. One time I got so fed up with the question that I replied "They were gypsies who traded me at the market for a llama. A very good llama, mind you!". The man didn't laugh, just looked at me oddly and then hissed lightly as I stepped on his foot . . . again.

I danced with Sir Gratanon twice- thank God there is a propriety limit to the number of times you can dance with the same person when you're unmarried! It makes me shake even now to think about the looks he gave me. His whole body projected a message to me: "You are trapped and you are mine." I don't know quite why that would be or even if that's what he was thinking, but that is the impression I got from him and I would rather . . . have to face Malyda than have another dance with him!

I caught glimpses of the prince sometimes as he spoke to the other diplomats and political figures, or when he was dancing with one of their daughters. Seeing him as the prince just made him seem more . . . not for me. Sometimes the prince would have a small bit of freedom from his royal obligation and he would smile and come to me, but I just pretended I hadn't seen him and accepted the dance with the gentleman before me, escaping both a charming prince and an evil stepmother.

I sighed, stood up, and waded through the water of the large fountain, avoiding the center where it sprayed out of the fingers of a young man pointing longingly and hopefully to somewhere . . . probably a far away lover. I lifted my skirts and tucked them into the belt of my dreaded crinoline so that the dress stopped an inch above the water but didn't show off my undergarments. I've worn less clothing than the undergarments before, but for some reason showing off your undergarments seems so much more . . . revealing.

I walked slowly through the water, letting the cold water sooth my red, blistered feet. Music played softly behind me and I couldn't help but sway slightly to it. I didn't know the steps- of course- but I made my own up, remembering my father's words, "The only good dancers are the ones who enjoy it." I wasn't sure I was truly enjoying myself, but I was certainly cheering myself up with the sway. Even though I could hear the music from the ball room, I found myself humming. I went through several tunes, songs of spring, of birds, of lost love, of found love, and finally one that always seemed to pop up right when it was needed. I kept singing, ignoring the light plop of the water behind me. I had just finished, "Where Are the Good Times for Me?" and had gotten two lines through "The Chimney Elf", my favorite children's song about an elf who dances on chimneys, when someone grabbed my hand. Even through my gloves I knew who it was, and turning around I found the prince next to me. I didn't smile, he didn't smile, and for a moment I thought he might know how untouchable he is to me. I lowered my eyes as he asked for a dance, but his rolled up trousers looked so ridiculous that I couldn't help but laugh.

"What is it?" the prince asked with a smile when I looked back up at him.

"Your pants! They look absolutely ridiculous!"

"Oh and your gown looks fantastic with . . . wiry skirt sticking out and your . . . silky, puffy britches getting wet," he retorted with a wry smile.

I paled, and immediately dropped the dress so it covered my bloomers and crinoline. It was only when I heard them hit the water that I realized my mistake. "Crumb buckets! Now the dress is all wet!" I hissed, making my way out of the fountain.

"Wait!" I turned back to the prince.

"What?" I hissed, now in a worse mood than before. He ignored my anger and lifted up my hand and then placed another at my waist, over the hand I had on my hips.

"You still owe me a dance," he said lightly.

"What? In the fountain?" I gaped at him, as I lifted my hand from my side his to his shoulder when he pulled me with him into the steps I tried to follow. Despite my efforts to stay utterly frustrated, a smile tugged at my lips and I could feel my cheek muscles tightening as my mouth curled.

"Your dress is already wet!" he pointed out, beaming.

"Ha ha ha," I said sarcastically, "Fine, we can dance in the fountain, but if my dress gets ruined I swear I will-"

"What? You would kill me over a gown?" he asked with a laugh, "I never suspected-"

"Dan made this dress for me! I owe them so much and I am not about to have his creation ruined!" I interrupted him in return. Though my words were said roughly, I was smiling and I could tell Jon knew I was joking, for he was smiling to.

"So you _would_ have me killed?" he asked with fake astonishment, as he swirled me around. I made a mental note that I hadn't stepped on his feet yet, but reasoned it was probably because the water was slowing our steps so much that it gave time for him to avoid my misplaced ones.

"That was the original plan, but now I think I would just climb up that tree over there and never come down! Better that than face Dan with a ruined gown." I had never seen Dan in a serious rage, but he did go slightly insane when Boots tore on of the gowns.

"Horrible punishment for me!" Jon said with a laugh, "I guess I would just have to go up and get you."

"Oh, so you are an accomplished tree climber as well as a royal now, are you? I never would have thought that they taught princes how to climb trees," I shot back with a chuckle.

"Well, I made it quite well up yours did I n-" he stopped when he realized his error. Lowering my head I stepped back from the prince. The prince's hands dropped from me as I took another couple steps back. He made me go crazy! How could he make me fight back tears with one sentence? "Elora," he said, that's all he said, but it made me look up and when I saw him looking at me, I had to say something.

"I have cried so much since . . . you . . . happened," I whispered. He heard it, and looked away for a moment. "It is such a relief to cry," I admitted for the first time to even myself. Saying this made the urge to cry disappear and I gave a small smile. I realized another thing: I had smiled a lot since I had met him too. He opened his eyes and stepped forward, taking my hand.

"Do you wish to tell me about it?" he asked, sensing my still present sadness.

"No," I answered honestly."But I did make you a promise." I felt a squeeze on my hand.

Jon said, "I will only hear it when you truly want me to." I smiled and then did something that shocked even myself: I hugged him. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and setting my head on his now tense shoulder, I whispered, "Thank you." Hesitantly, as if he wasn't quite sure what to do, he wrapped his arms around me. Though he returned the embrace, though his body stayed tight, unsure. I realized that I must have been much the same when I received my first hug from Zou Zou, or even from Dana or Dan, after not getting hugs in years. I laughed softly and turned to give him a small kiss on the cheek. That just gave Jon a jolt before he relaxed a little more. I remembered then that he didn't have a mother. I knew the Queen was dead, but it hadn't really triggered that she was also a parent. I gave him an extra reassuring squeeze, though it did not release much of his tension.

Though much of myself was absorbed in the embrace, my ear caught approaching footsteps along with the small buzz of conversation. Jon and I released from the hug and we both made our way out of the fountain, having a silent agreement of not wanting to be caught in such a situation. It was only when I heard the most graceful, lovely laughter that I started making a mad dash out of the fountain. I tripped and splashed in the water.

"Blast it!" I mumbled. Jon asked if I was all right and tried to help me up, but I snapped up immediately and ran for the nearest tree. Ignoring my dress, I climbed up it, easily finding my way up even in the dark and in a gown. Thank God it was a simple tree.

"I am not dealing with her!" I stated blatantly back to Jon as I pushed up onto a final branch, scratching my feet. "Drat!" I said with a sudden revelation, and calling quickly down to Jon I asked, "Can you get my slippers and stockings? I left them on the edge of the fountain." I could barely see him through the darkness and the leaves walk over and grab them. I then saw him below me, staring up after searching the trunk. He obviously didn't know how to get up. I couldn't help the horribly wicked smile that crawled across my lips.

"Should I toss them up to you?" he asked. I heard the voices come nearer. One was low, male, and had a dry, vicious twinge to it. There was a third voice, a young, sweet sounding voice that gave the whole aura of desirable perfection.

"No!" I mumbled quickly, "You can give them to me later. Now step away from the tree before you give away my cover! And I would advise you to make a run for it before the exact images of evil arri-"

"Your highness!" one of the demons sang.

"Good evening, Lady Klara. And to you Lady Cif- Aimon," the prince replied as he stepped towards the group, and barely out of view through the leaves of the tree. I smiled at him almost using Malyda's maiden name as I asked him too, but understood his decision to keep my father's name. "Good evening Sir Gratanon," he added, with no less formality to the advisor of his father as he gave to the demons.

"Good evening Highness," Malyda greeted, "Savoring the night air as well?"

"Very much so. I hope you and Lady Klara are enjoying the party,"

"Quite well, your highness," Klara said, sweetness dripping from her words in the most pleasantly innocent way. "Are you quite alright? I thought I heard a splash." I couldn't help but smirk.

"Oh... yes, of course. I'm positively fine. You see... an odd fish suddenly leapt out of the water." I stopped a laugh. That was worse than the twins tailor story!

"Forgive me for the contradiction, your highness," Klara said politely, "But I see no fish in the fountain."

"That is because... then the rest of the fish followed suit and leapt out and flopped away!" I tried desperately to keep the laughter inside my stomach as Jon continued,"The absurd fish just hopped over to the pond right there." Jon walked under the tree and gestured to some place I could not see. Then, for a brief moment, he looked up at me with a smile and suggestive wink. He had made up this awful story just for my entertainment! I laughed, then quickly recovered as Jon picked up his own laugh to disguise mine. It was not to well done, but believable since a laughing tree is almost as absurd as runaway fish.

"That is quite fascinating Highness," Klara said without skipping a beat, her own laugh chiming in with the prince's. Surely she did not buy it! "Would you tell me more of it? Perhaps over a dance?" Aha! So she was just looking for a dance. The prince hesitated.

"If you would so honor me milady," he finally said. Disappointment and... something else tightened in my chest. But with a swallow I accepted that it was only polite and that was part of being a prince. He seemed so far away again. "Would you two join us in the ball room?" the prince asked, and then it hit me! Oh, noble Jon! He's trying to get the three demons away from me by bringing them with him! What a sacrifice! Like tempting a lion away with a leg of lamb!

"No, I think we will stay here," Lady Malyda said, "Sir Gratanon and I have some matters yet to be discussed."

"Are you quite certain?" the prince inquired, with a hint of pleading. "The dancing tends to become much more pleasurable at the later hours." His honorable attempts to lure the lion away were to no avail.

"I am sure it is, and we will return shortly," Malyda insisted, a slight growl passing her words. I was almost set off balance at the thought of her actually transforming into a lion and pouncing on the prince, but managed to keep on the branch and listen to her next words. "You two enjoy yourselves. You are both wonderful dancers. You will do well together." I rolled my eyes at her obviousness.

There was a slight pause before the prince said with slight exasperation, "Shall we, Lady Klara?"

"Of course, your highness," Klara chirped. I heard the soft tread of their feet and wished Jon good luck mentally. I then listened for the fading steps of Malyda and Sir Gratanon. Instead I heard a low voice I had not heard much of during this odd situation.

"Malyda, before you say another word, I assure you it would be in your best interest to drop this idea of your daughter and Jonaldo," Sir Gratanon growled. My back stiffened and I found my hearing sharpening immediately.

"Ah ah ah, Arturus," Malyda said mockingly, "You do not give me what I ask for and I do not give you what you ask for. I shall have my daughter on the thrown."

"And so she shall be," Gratanon snapped, "But I am unable to get her on the thrown with out the letter, the shoes, or the girl! It is impossible for her to become 'princess' without those, and it is even less possible to try it through Jonaldo."

"You say this every time!" Malyda shrieked slightly, "Do you think my daughter is not worthy for the part? Do you think that she can not attract him?"

"Your past, Malyda, makes sure of that. His Majesty would never see Jonaldo married to the daughter of a strumpet." He had barely finished the word when I heard a hard smack. I flinched. Lucky for him she didn't have the Beat. I still had the scars from that.

"Do you want the girl or not?" Malyda spat. Was I the girl? I better not be! First, I don't even live with her anymore. Second, I am _not _going to have _anything_ to do with Sir Gratanon if I can help it. And if it's Zou Zou, I might have to jump down and... do something I should regret but won't.

I was just thinking about all the possibilities when Sir Gratanon said in a low, intimidating voice, "Malyda, you know as well as I that you do not have the girl." I stiffened, immediately thinking that it was me, though I didn't want to admit it.

"You know where she is," Malyda hissed, after a cold pause.

"Ah," Sir Gratanon mocked, "So you finally admit that you foolishly sent her out on the streets. You know not well what you did do," he tsked, "Elora has more worth than you know." I stiffened at my name, and I heard a slight splash below me. I looked down to make out a small reflection of the lights and the moon in a puddle below me. Oh no! I'm dripping!

"Perhaps," Malyda said sharply, "But you can not do whatever it is you plan with out the other things!" I stayed alert of their argument, glad it distracted them from my wet skirt. I wanted them to find me even less now that I did before.I listened carefully, hoping to have the questions swirling in my head answered.

"Oh Malyda. I will get that which I seek with or without your help."

"Then why do we still find ourselves in this conversation, Arturus?" Malyda asked cynically. I heard Sir Gratanon chuckle. It was a horrible sound.

"Truly, your assistance would make executing my plan much simpler," there was a small pause before Sir Gratanon said with powerful intimidation, "But I can assure you, I will get what I want," he finished, with an emphasis on each concluding word.

With a much weaker voice, but a strong voice all the same, Malyda replied, "I feel exactly the same way." Again, Sir Gratanon let out a horrid chuckle.

"Then, Malyda, will you cooperate so that we may get what we both wish to hold?"

"I think you forgot what started this... discussion," Malyda pointed out, "You deny me that which I ask for."

"What you ask for is not how you will get what you want," Sir Gratanon said with a slight growl in his voice, agitation prickling through his words.

"Enough with your cryptic words!" Malyda shouted with such disdain and anger that I was set off balance. I fell backwards, sending a spray of water from my skirt and a slight rustle, and was barely able to latch onto another branch and get my feet back on the branch I had been sitting on so I was in an uncomfortable, hanging-for-dear-life position; and now my hands were slipping. I couldn't tell if Sir Gratanon had noticed, but Malyda hadn't, since she kept going. "Tell me what it is you hide from me! What 'worth' could that foolish child ever hold? Why are you so adamant on not having my daughter become princess?" she asked demandingly as I tried to swing on the branch I held on to. The crinoline, gown, and gloves made the attempt unsuccessful and it only succeeded in sending sprits of water from my dress and causing me to carelessly curse under my breath as Malyda ranted on. I prayed her loud questioning would be a good enough destruction. I had no such luck. "And what have you planned with-"

"Silent!" Sir Gratanon snarled. Malyda fell silent- either in shock at this demand, with curiosity, or in realization of the oddity of the near by tree. I heard the thump of a Sir Gratanon's feet approach me- for they could not be the delicate patters Malyda created- and I tried to better my position and climb up the tree. This only made my situation worse. My hands and feet slipping until I held on only with my fingers and my toes. I felt bark puncture my delicate gloves and scratch my fingers while my bare toes were already get their share of damage from digging into the branch.

I hoped for some sudden luck, for a hand to pull me up the tree, for a beguilement for the approaching man, for enough darkness to conceal me, and finally, as my feet released, my fingers lost their grip, and I let out a scream, for my father to be below to catch me and take me home.

But it was not the kind eyes of my father that I looked up into for the final moment before I fell into darkness, but the cruel eyes of a man looking down with an extreme sense of possession that made me let out a final cry. It was a relief to black-out; not because I would escape the pain from my impact to the ground, but because I wouldn't feel the horrible burn that gaze made me feel.

* * *

A/N: AH! I HAVEN'T UPDATED IN A LONG LONG TIME! I'm terribly TERRIBLY sorry! I'm really busy! I really haven't had time for the computer. One of my friends (hello Cora! Having fun at the farm?) told me "Mia! What happened to the three updates a week thing?" and I was like "I never updated three times in a week!" and then she gave me all these examples and little stories to help me remember and I was like, "... oh." and felt very bad. Now I feel bad again! I just have so many lines to memorize (I'm not even kidding people! I have the third largest role Shakespeare ever made... or second, if you do not include the Iago from the First Folio). I'm rather pleased with myself because I just got done memorizing the longest of my speeches, but I still have about a hundred more lines to memorize by Tuesday! So bare with me! Anyway. Again, I'm really REALLY sorry. Expect less frequent updates but longer chapters, that's all I can say. Anyway! They have to be short since (I'm sorry to say) I have to go and memorize more but... off to Review Response Land!

**Miss Piratess**: You blame my character? I was supposing I might receive more blame, but oh well! HEHEHE! NO ROCK FOR ME!

**laurashrub**: NOT SURE WHAT A TURTLE SUNDAE IS? Six words: ice cream, caramel, hot fudge, walnuts! And you are heading in the right direction with the death thing.

**panemonium**: here are the answers to your questions: in a way; no; ...hehe... you'll see. It WAS awkward to update during school, but really, there wasn't much to do, so I wrote a chappie! NO MORE SCHOOL WEEHE!

**ElvenSilver**: I'm sorry. HEY! DON'T GET YOUR HOPES UP TOO HIGH! I completely sympathize with Elora! He IS a prince anyway. But yes, the ending does seem so inevitable doesn't it (oh well). I'm sorry this was a kind of cliff hanger too, but I'll try really hard to get another one up!

**Sirenic Griffin**: AH! Now the room is spinning for me too! Oh no! Ow! Is it really that many? (Checks back, reads 173) AH! AH! Ooooh my head. Wow. Thank you for the support (and that I mean for everyone, but especially you! You've been there from the start!) Couldn't we all hurt Miss Malady and her twisted twins? Hehe. Oh no! Hope you... recover!

**_lady gwen_**: I ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY ADORE TURTLE SUNDAES WITH THE UTMOST PASSION IT DRIVES ME INSANE! Here, have another:)

**wishingIcouldthinkofsomething**: I'm glad you like it! love your name by the way! I feel exactly the same way most of the- all of the time. Heehee. :P

**E1pnvn**: "(and more comedy)" muahahahhahahahaha! Do you mean "insanity"? I'm glad you like the story, I have fun writing it because I let myself go crazy in it (it helps me to stay- somewhat- more calm later).

**Dreamer at Heart**: I've probably said something along these lines before, but your name is grand! It makes me sigh. MADE OF TURTLES? Oh no! That would be HORRIBLE! Go look at **laurashrub**'s review response, I explained it all there in six wonderful words! HEHEHE! Malyda TOTALLY deserved it! Muahahaha! Thanks for the review!

**_rootbeergirl19_**: sorry about the laziness of my updates recently (it's so horrible). This was left out on a bad part too, sorry about that! I'll try and make a faster update to make up for it.

**_starlight_**: YEY! I HAVE A COOKIE! Here, have some apple strudel (I love anything apple... except actual plain apples ;P) NOT A PLATYPUS TO STEAL ALL ZE COOKIES! oh no! Well, I'll try REALLY hard for a fast update this time! I loved your review by the way!You are grandly hilarious!

SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY!

Mia

PS: how's you guys' summer goin'?


	21. Terms

I came to with a wet cloth of cool water on my head. I could hear two people in a raging argument in another room. Zou Zou was above me as I lay down on a mattress, smiling sadly down at me as she patted my forehead which was partially covered by a bandage that I could feel was wrapped around my head. It was then, when I felt the bandage, that I winced and sat up rapidly, the pain in the back of my head overwhelming.

"Lye down," Zou Zou said, pushing my shoulders lightly. I slowly lowered back onto the mattress. Her next words took my mind from the pain, "The moment you feel even slightly better, I want you to take the passage and get away from here. Don't go back to Dana and Dan's house and avoid the palace at all costs."

"What?" I asked, sitting up without a wince. What was happening?

"Just do what I say," she ordered, a little harshly, but only out of concern. She pulled out a purse and handed it to me. "Take this to find a hotel in which to stay, and then you may send a messenger to me. This being done, I'll come to get you and we will head back to my home for further instruction." At the mention of Zou Zou's home, she smiled lightly, but the fear and worry didn't leave even her smile.

We heard some footsteps coming down the hall. Zou Zou hissed for me to leave and she shoved the purse in my hands. I didn't bother to put my fathers cloak on over the bloomers and chemise I had on as I rushed for the rug in the corner. Not considering that there were no apparent reasons why I was doing this or the fact that the purse I held must be all the savings Zou Zou had earned from her work with Malyda or even the fact that my head still hurt profusely, I lifted the rug, then the trap door, and slid into the passage. One thought did grab my mind before I went under: What will happen to Zou Zou when Malyda finds her but not me? I looked up to tell Zou Zou to come down with me, but she had already closed the trapdoor on me and when I tried to push it back open... I couldn't. She must have been standing on the door.

"Damn you Zou Zou," I muttered, coming close to tears. I was about to bang my fist on the door and shout at her, when somebody did that for me, except the pounding was of wood against skin, not vice versa, and the shouting was that of Malyda's and Zou Zou's own cries of pain.

My first instinct was to jump out and grab the Beat from Malyda to show her how it felt to be the one to be hurt with it, but again, Zou Zou was still blocking my way back up. Tears stung my eyes at the knowledge that my friend was being hurt right above me and there was nothing I could do. Finally, remembering Zou Zou's words and the concern she held in them, I swung into action. I crawled quickly through the slightly downward tunnel of the passage, and when I hit the downward slope, I grabbed the ladder and slid down until I stopped myself with a horrible screech from my hands against the ladder. It was quite audible but not enough to grab my attention. I opened the trap door at my side to reveal the bushes that concealed the door.I slid out from the trap door into the night, and made a dash for the place my feet normally took me when I was leaving the house.

At the tree, I found something I never would have expected to see. Malyda stood on a ladder with a torch in her hand, illuminating her face wickedly. I saw the figure of Sir Gratanon holding the reins of a horse as he watched my horrified expression with curiousity.

"Here are the terms, Elora," Malyda announced, "Either you live with Sir Gratanon," she stated with an expecting glance. "Or..." she said simply bringing the torch towards a branch nearby her.

"No!" I shouted, not even noticing my words.

"Then you agree to Sir Gratanon's proposal?" she asked, liking how easily I fell into that. Proposal? Did she mean marriage? I looked to Sir Gratanon, who stepped towards me with a sly expression and a ring in hand. I stepped back with a shake of my head. I tripped and fell hard on my bottom, giving my head a good twinge in turn. Sir Gratanon lifted me back to my feet and stared me in the eye with an expression that was almost tender. Almost.

"I will take good care of you, Elora," Sir Gratanon said, starting to slide the ring on my finger.

"No," I mumbled, jerking back. Sir Gratanon, gave me an enraged glare as his hand tightened on my hand.

"Fine, have it your way," Malyda said, bringing the torch to the tree and setting a branch ablaze with the same horrible grace she always had. "Oh," she added, "And you might want to turn around." I did, and what I saw even through the night horrified me. Smoke rose from where my home stood, illuminated by the fire that I couldn't see through the trees, but knew consuming my home. I stood in shocked horror as I watched the only part of my history- my father- that I knew turn to ash.

"We can put them out, Elora," Malyda announced, "It's a controlled fire, but we can let it get loose, unless you agree to the terms." I turned to her, giving a tear filled glare of the most hate I had ever felt in my life. The war within me raged: be trapped, or live without any past? I knew what my father would want, and it wasn't to be prisoner to a man I despised, but if I didn't save the house and the tree, there would be nothing left of him except ash and a corpse lost at sea. Another thought hit me hard and my horrified question was answered in the next moment.

"There are still servants inside the house, will you be responsible for there death?" Malyda asked me. The filthy tart, she would murder too? I still knew what father would want for me, but I now knew what he would know I had to do and would be proud of me for.

I collapsed to my knees and said the only words my body would let me say, "Put it out." It came out as a hurt mumble, so I wasn't surprised when Malyda asked for a repeat. "Put it out!" I screamed, not looking up to Malyda in fear of the sight I would see of my tree.

"So you agree to the terms?" Malyda questioned, amused. Anger raged through me.

"Yes! You won! I'll do whatever you want, just put it out!"

"Do as she says!" she ordered. Men came out of the trees, with buckets of water that they threw against the scorched tree. She then waved her torch high above her head, the signal to the house for them to stop the fire.

People bustled about the tree for quite some time until the tree was finally out and we were all back in the darkness of the night. In the midst of all this, I shook on the ground. Even when Sir Gratanon came to put a coat around me and give a few 'comforting' words- despite the smugness in his voice- I continued to shake. Tears would not come, my body was too dried up, it seemed to be in a primal mode that wouldn't allow tears. When all the men had left the area at Sir Gratanon and Malyda's order, I looked up at my tree. It's left side had been burnt badly, but somehow it have maintained some branches to cover it's home within. I didn't smile, but I was relieved that it's odd magic like quality had kept it from revealing it's secret. I bet it would have burned all the way to the ground without sharing anything. I shivered at the thought of seeing only ash.

Standing up for the first time, I ignored the chatter that went on between Sir Gratanon and Malyda and walked over to the burned side of the tree. For some reason, seeing the partly dead tree was a relief. It was almost like what visiting my fathers grave would've been like if he had one (Malyda hadn't even given him a memorial stone or funeral- too much money). I kneeled down and dipped my fingers in the cinders and ash just to feel what actual death was like, even if it was a tree. At least most of the tree was intact. I wiped some tears that were starting on my eyes, forgetting about the soot on my hands, and then stood up.

Sir Gratanon held a hand out to me to help me up on the horse he had. I thought about just walking, even saying that I wouldn't marry him. Thinking about denying marriage made me look to my left hand. There indeed, sat a gold ring with an emerald on it. I didn't remember when it had been put on, but I guessed Sir Gratanon had done so when I was in my dazed state. I looked back up to Sir Gratanon and saw that same look he would always give me that made me feel like a trapped animal, and now I really was what his gaze held-trapped. Again, I wanted to refuse his proposal, but when I thought of the damaged tree and the smoke tat rose from the distance, and I realized that I still had something to lose. I realized, though, that I rather have something to lose and be trapped then have nothing at all.

I took a walked towards Sir Gratanon to meet my fate, but stopped when I was walking by Malyda who gave me a smug look.

"How did you know I would come here?" I asked, knowing very well that Malyda and I both knew my real question: How did you know about this place?

"Oh Elora, he did marry me. Do you think he would not show me his favorite place?"

* * *

A/N: Hey all! Sorry I took so long! And sorry that this one is pretty short! A lot happened I must say, so I hope that makes up for the shortness. Isn't Malyda such a different-word-for-female-dog? Hehehehehehehe... excellent. Anyway, love to you all and... REVIEW RESPONSE! 

**Galasriniel**: hehe. Llamas are crazy cool! Sorry about your dog and cat! I hate my cats sometimes, but I know I'd be sad too if they died. Your choir camp sounds awesome, not to mention PotO and your friend. I'm not a big HP fan, but hope you enjoy #6 too! Mmm... chocolate pudding.

**Lulai**: The daughter? When did I say anything about daughter? Muahahahahahahahahaha! I love the "(So evil it's spelt wrong!)" that made me crack up sooo much! Mmm... chocolate chip cookie dough! WHY DOES EVERYBODY HAVE TO MENTION FOOD AND MAKE ME HUNGRY? Hehehe. I got your review for Anthea and now that I know you are in 'The Boyfriend' I can't help but wonder if you would happen to be in a production company called CTM. If you are, awesome! I'm a Madisonian! No I am not in CTM and I didn't get to see it, but I heard of it and I'm curious. I'm doing "Measure for Measure" for Young Shakespeare Players (less professional than CTM, but I love it anyway). Anyway... if you were in CTM, that would be so Doo-DOO-Doo-doo-Doo-DOO-Doo-doo freaky cool!

**Dreamer at heart**: I hope Klara didn't believe Jon, I don't think she's THAT stupid... I think (don't you love how I don't know about my own characters). I love love LOVE turtle sundaes sooooo much, they make me happy happy HAPPY! here, have one!

**_Mellem_**: hehehe. Can we pretend this was a quick update? Hehehe.

**laurashrub**: There's nothing to be forgiven about. Here, have a turtle sundae! It'll be more fun for you since you can imagine it (I love dreaming!)

**Akwyn**: yesyesyes. Jon chose to dance with Klara, poopy yes, but very heroic on his part! YEY FOR SHAKESPEAREAN INSULTS! One of my fav lines was "Yield! Rustic Mountaineer!" And I got to insult people a lot of the way through. This play, **_I_** get insulted, which is, surprisingly, almost as fun as insulting other people! hehe.

**fireworksinmybackpocket**: WOW! I LOVE THAT EXPRESSION! I'm gonna use it one day! Hehe. Anyway, glad you like it! And and sorry about the absence of updatedness!

**Miss Piratess**: muahahahahahaha. Oh yes, I love my cliff hangers of doom! glad you enjoyed that little fountain bit. I like fountains. You don't have to swim, but you can still get wet! Muahahahaha!

**_maria_**: OKAY! Hehehehehe!

**E1pnvn**: thanks for not pressuring, I don't like pressure (despite the fact, I give it quite a bit (shifts eyes)) YEYS TO THOU! here! Cookie!

**blue-hello-kitty**: yes I did... actually... no I didn't! ... but it didn't make any sense that she could sit so well on a tree branch in a crinoline so... she fell! so... yes I did.

**monkeys-and-bananas76**:(falls off chair) (gets back up) (stares at screen) (blinks) (stares some more) (blinks) wow... (blinks) thanks!

Anyway, love to you all. I won't post for another month, but I promise to write some stuff to type up later on my trip to Canada!

Much... somethingness,

Mia

PS: YEY TO OVER 180 REVIEWS! YUMMY DELECTABLE GOODNESS TO ALL!


	22. Cinder Ella

She had to be lying! Father promised it was our secret. She must have just seen us going up there before. Must have followed me, found my weaknesses to use to tame me to her will- like now. I would never accept my father would show her such a place. They never slept in the same room! She was lying! She had to be!

I could not think of anything else other than the rage I felt for Malyda's words. For a moment, wonderment of the whole oddity of this situation crossed my mind, along with the fear of my future. But this, again, was only for a moment.

I lifted my gaze from the horse's mane to my smoking house. My finally dry face, went dryer with my throat, and I stopped breathing with horror. I clutched the mane of the horse harder and it whinnied. Sir Gratanon dismounted from behind me and then helped me down. I heard him say vaguely to come with him to his carriage, that he would have all I needed at the palace, but the moment my eyes had hit the house, everything seemed like a dream.

I stepped forward, away from Sir Gratanon, who let me go my own way through the bustling crowd of servants. I came forward to one of the black stone walls. I set a hand on it, I felt the burn, but did not feel the urge to cry out. My instincts did make me step back from the hot stone.

The only thing that gave me the slightest relief was that the whole house was not damaged and was still pretty well intact. However, my anger flared when I saw the focus of Malyda's fire: the servants quarters. Nothing else was damaged except the servants quarters and part of the kitchen. One of the Chimneys had fallen though, _my _chimney. A part of my history had tumbled to a pile of stone. It wouldn't matter to Malyda, even if she found out about the secret passage. She would still be able to have her parties and her guests, would still be able to go to sleep in her shimmering, gold room, while the servants would sleep... where would they sleep? In ash?

My extra burst of anger and my slight relief brought me back to an awake sense. I looked around to make sure everyone was okay. During my frantic searching I heard some one calling for help. I pinpointed the spot I heard them from and I clawed through the stone and ash. I found Tomas, a man who had just come to work here to earn money for his ailing twin brother. After pulling him out. I found that he was burned badly in several places and had broken his left leg. I didn't have to call for assistance long before Christo took him away top where they were caring for the injured. He said there was no deaths and no injuries that couldn't be healed. I thanked him and kept looking.

I was not outright searching for her, but I did hope to find Zou Zou. So when she came running towards me with a bundle in her hands, looking quite healthy, I was overjoyed. I ran to her and when we met we hugged.

"I know what they did to you," she whispered soothingly, "I know that they forced you. And I know that you shouldn't have to do this, that I don't want you to do this, but I also know you do have to. I will be going with you though, there's not a chance I will let you go alone!" Through out her words I did not have any questions of who "they" were or what she meant by "forced" and "this", but her last sentence stopped me.

"You're what?" I asked, separating from her enough to look in her eyes.

"I'm going with you," she repeated with a smile.

"But your job. What about your family?"

"They will understand."

"Malyda?"

"I told her I quit. Well, I told her more than just that," Zou Zou said with a grin, though it was crooked and I could tell she was sad about the situation in all.

"What does Sir Gratanon say to this?" I asked.

"I do not care what he says, I'm coming! Now enough with the questions. I have your things, if you have any interest in that." She handed me the bundle and I looked through it. My fathers boots, his coat, Jon's cloak, the star dress from Dan, and the star clip from Dana. I thought of the shoes Zou Zou had given me, and knew that I would get them back from Jon. I remembered the small comment Sir Gratanon made of having all I needed, and I knew he was wrong. I wrapped everything back in my fathers coat and was about to tell Zou Zou we should go and be of some use, when I was stopped by a stabbing voice.

"Well, look at this. I guess, Bella Ella isn't so Bella anymore," Claira called from behind me. Zou Zou and I shared a look and we moved forward, but the twisted twins would have none of that.

"Look how covered in soot she is. And in her underclothes no less!" Klara mocked, "She is not even worthy of a fake Bella for a name."

"She is more of a... Soot Ella," Claira announced gleefully.

"Claira, that name is terrible. It has no ring to it. I would say myself that she is just Ella now," Klara said.

"Well, what about Cinder Ella. Or Dirty Ella. Or Ashy Ella?" Claira asked. I could hear Klara sigh even as Zou Zou and I quickened our pace.

"If you are so insistent, I guess Cinder Ella is the best you've done. It has a mocking ring in it you see. The 'R' helps the two words slide together smoothly." Normally, I would just snort at how philosophical Klara would get about such silly matters, but today had not been the kindest of days.

"Cinder Ella! Cinder Ella!" Claira sang, "Oh no! Look at all this soot. Let us go back into the house Klara, or we will ruin our dresses!" I turned to see them leave, only to see someone else come up behind them.

"Oh! Good evening, Sir Gratanon," Claira said as if she were at a tea party. Klara did the like.

"Good evening ladies. Though I do say it is near morning," Sir Gratanon replied. I wanted to walk faster, but I couldn't move but a step. All I could do was look at my home and say my farewells and apologies, much like I had to do when I was kicked out several months ago.

"Quite true," Klara said in the distance of my mind, "And we should be resting before the sun comes to greet us. Good morning, Sir Gratanon."

"Good morning," he said, "Elora, we must be on our way, I would like to enter the palace and get you situated before we are called on for breakfast." I snapped out of my words for the house. I turned to Zou Zou, nodded, and we both turned to Sir Gratanon, the carriage standing farther back behind him. He held his arm out for me when I drew near. I took it and he led me to the carriage, Zou Zou following behind.

A footman opened the carriage door. Sir Gratanon helped me step in. He stepped in after. Zou Zou stopped the footman from closing the door and stepped in. I saw Sir Gratanon give an odd look, but he said nothing. It was silent. For this I was grateful.

* * *

A/N: Thank you all so much! Over 200 reviews! This is really amazing to me! Sorry for the really short chapter as a 'reward', but once I got back from Canada, I went camping and I just got back. I have a goal of two chapters per story before school starts, so be ready for another chapter really soon! I'm going to have a little trouble now, because I'm at the part where I'm not so well planned. Like I have everything roughly (I never FULLY plan or it makes the story boring to write, this is an adventure for ME TOO!) planned except for this part, where I have zilch. Love to you all. Watch for the chapter (I'll try to make it longer) REVIEW RESPONSE:

**Galasriniel**: I LOVE THE HATING OF MALYDA! I'm sorry, all of you guys anger makes me feel grand! I feel like I accomplished something: CREATING A BIZZOTCH! YEY FOR THE EXPANDING OF THE RANGE! I understand completely because my friend doubled hers one time within three months and I raised mine because I had to perform a song that was out of my range and I felt so successful when I got it (even though I got extremely obviously nervous on stage. It was awfully uncomfortable!) So I totally get that! I did get memorized! And I went through one performance without any cues! I was so proud. I got 5 UNNEEDED (the director gave them to me anyway!) cues and 4 needed ones though (grrr) but I felt better when one of my friends reminded me that he got 20 in a different play and he had half as many lines. Thanks for asking! Everybody wants Sir Gratanon to be the good guy. (Shakes head) You poor children. Since when do fairy tales have happy endings...wait. Thank you for the support! I'd sing a song, but I'll spare the world.

**monkeys-and-bananas76**: sorry for the slow update! Hey, at least Elora won't be around Malyda anymore... then again. Thank you so much for the support person with a monkey in your name (I LOVE MONKEYS!)!

**Dreamer at heart**: I know, it's all sooo horrible! No worries, I'll fix it... if I feel generous. hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe- okay, enough of that. Thank you for the support oh one-that-has-a-name-that-makes-me-sigh!

**Lulai**: (bows) to my queen, for thou hast been typing thine reviews for me from the beginning of... it all... ay. Okay, so I suck at that. Thank you soooooo much. Your such a wonderful writer and it's so KICK ASS to know your reading my stuff (bows). It would have been so cool if you were in CTM. It's not like I would track you down, but I would have been thinking (Dee-DEE-Dee-dee-Dee-DEE-Dee-dee...). Once more, my queen, I thank you (bows).

**laurashrub**: really? Wow. I'm flattered. I don't think punching in the face is realistic for Jon, but you'll see, actually he's not- I'm shutting up-you'll see. THANK YOU FOR THE DOUBLE CHOCOLATE MUFFIN! oh yeah, and the support (stuffs face in muffin) JUST KIDDING! Thank you so much for being here through this journey!

**Akwyn**: thinking using Akwyn's plot... hmm... if I don't get sued by you, it'll be your parents or something crazy. But it's a good thought! hehehehehe! Oh no! Not at little and me I hope? Eek! (From behind a boulder): thanks for the support!

**_zou zou_**: ... erm... your kind of sitting next to me right now. You look evil... your laughing at me... thanks for the support... I guess. ...oh yeah... I love you... I guess. NO, I DO LOVE YOU! **EVERYBODY SHOULD READ HER REVIEW AND SEE THE REAL SIDE TO ZOU ZOU!** ...yes. Actually, she's not bad... and you don't have to read her review.

**SmileyFacePerson**: Not Cinderella? Well, I'd have to agree with that to a certain extent, this doesn't really seem much like the story right now, does it? Oh well that's all right, it makes this story less predictable. Thank you for the support! Your name makes me smile by the way (if I haven't said that already).

**Scoutcraft Piratess**: You changed your name! This ones nice, but I'm kind of going through that someone got a new haircut stage, you know? I like the way you talk! It has a great ring to it! Thank you much for all that you have shared! ... well I tried the ring you have... didn't work did it? No.

**trillian225**: I like your stream of thoughts. You know, how you got certain ideas about the way the names sound. I LOVE "The Raven"! it's awesome!

**Taniny-niisy**: YEY YOUR BACK! WITH SAIO TOO! Your funny funny funny! Aberton has left. :( He went back to his land in the sky. He's not even a fish now, he's a blue human looking type thing. I went to Ontario and Montreal in Canada lots of fun! I love your new weapon of doom! (A possessed demented monkey who eats cow butt! Heheheheheehehheehehe! I'm glad your back! You were the first person to review this you know and now you're my 200th reviewer! Nifty huh? Yes! You were! And now look at your baby! I still have my golden axe! (Swishes it for show). (bows at Tanin's feet even while Saio snorts) Don't worry, I know you've been doing a lot of the driving in that mind (Saio: Damn right I have been!) But I still love Tanin. ((Saio gapes)). Thank you for the support. I could just go on and on and on. But I don't want to waste your time, not to mention that Saio needs to recover from his gapings. ((Saio gapes... then blinks... then gapes more)). THANK YOU SO MUCH!

**_crazy gurl_**: I did. Hehe. Thank you!

Much yumminess and much more yumminess to all,

(My sisters telling me to end it)

Mia


	23. Breakfast

I stepped reluctantly down the hall to the dining hall. I was so drained that I barely noticed when Sir Gratanon spoke to me as he led me through the doors. I barely managed a simple response to his small talk. I was so tired, I didn't even respond to the prince's confused yet delighted expression. I just gave a mindless curtsy to the king and the prince before taking the seat Sir Gratanon held out for me near the head of the table. 

Ultimately, yes, I was devastated, absolutely trapped and sad, but over all of this was a thick layer of one emotion- exhaustion. I was so depleted that I didn't even have a strong will to stuff the food in front of me into my hungry body. I took slow bite after bite, only listening to the slight murmur of gossip and the small instructions from Sir Gratanon on which utensils to use for certain dishes.

It was only when someone sent a comment to me from the other side of the table that I really had to drag myself out of my groggy state.

"Hmm?" I mumbled back to the lady in a pale blue dress filled with frills.

"I was just wondering where you have come to the palace from. I have seen you in court maybe once before, but your sudden appearance has quite stirred up talk here in the palace," she explained.

"I lived at the Aimon Residence here in the city, madam. I have not been much for court until very recently," I replied with a polite smile, conjuring up my energy.

"How long will your stay at the palace be, Lady Aimon," the king asked with a cold stare, catching me off guard. I could see Jon had a hopeful stare. Perhaps the king disliked me for the attention from his son.

I opened my mouth, not yet knowing the exact response nor if I was to reveal the secret, but Sir Gratanon stepped in for me.

"Permanently, Your Majesty," he answered.

The prince gawked at me with a grin as he asked, "Truly?" I nodded my confirmation, a sad smile spreading across my face at his joyful ignorance.

"Why was I not informed of our guest Arturus?" the king hissed slightly to his consultant. Sir Gratanon sent a smug glance at the king.

"I wished for you to hear our announcement with the rest f the courtiers, Majesty," Sir Gratanon answered with a smug smoothness.

"What announcement?" the prince asked with a confused glance. I looked at my lap and how I twisted the ring on my finger nervously. I bit my lip as Sir Gratanon spoke the words.

"Lady Aimon and I are engaged to be married." My hands clasped together at the hums of congratulations and whispers of the age difference that scattered throughout the room. There were only two people at the table who stayed silent.

"Have you set a date?" one lady asked.

"Yes. It will be roughly two years from now, as soon as she is at the legal age," Sir Gratanon said. I looked to him at this. The legal age was eighteen years, which would be, for me, at the end of the summer.

"Two years?" King Regamort asked for me, but apparently satisfied.

"Yes," Sir Gratanon replied, "Lady Malyda has consented to have her stay here for the two year period before her eighteenth birthday."

"Well," the king added with a genuine smile , "I wish you both happiness in your marriage."

I caught the confused glance from the prince. Jon knew my real age, but he made no statement of it. I looked back to Sir Gratanon who caught my confused stare.

Taking my hand, he leaned over and whispered in my ear, "I will answer your questions later. For now, however, do try to make more of an effort to seem affectionate." He squeezed my hand harder to make his statement clearer. I smiled, making his whispering in my ear look like he had given me a small lovers compliment.

"Of course," I smiled to him. My body didn't care that I felt like being sick. It was too tired for complaint. However, I couldn't keep my eyes on the smile that Sir Gratanon sent me, so I turned away. My gaze landed on a hurt, confused, questioning stare from the prince who sat almost directly across from me. I held the stare blankly before retreating back to the breakfast I was now growing an appetite for.

Finally breakfast was over and I was able to leave. Sir Gratanon held his arm out for me and I took it with a dull willingness. I went over the luncheons and brunches I had been invited to this morning and gave genuine goodbyes to the few ladies I had liked along with the usual farewell to those I had not. But as Sir Gratanon and I were exiting, we were stopped at the door by a very formal prince.

"Sir Gratanon, I hope you would allow me the pleasure of escorting your fiancée through the gardens. A simple welcoming from a friend," Prince Jonaldo said with a dry smile. Sir Gratanon gave a skeptical look at the both of us.

"I assure you that your bride to be will not be stolen away," the prince guaranteed with a charming smile. "That is of course, if the lady wishes to go," he added.

Sir Gratanon gave me a firm glance. I nodded my reassurance. I could feel Sir Gratanon's grip harden and then soften before he replied, "Of course your highness. I would imagine nothing of the sort."

It was only when I traded arms from the cold clutches of one man to the firm, hurt ones of another that I realized my mistake. This would probably end in agony. And I was too tired for any more of that.

* * *

A/N: can't do review response. can't do conversation. sorry for short chap. working on other stories + longer chap. sorry for breaking promise. very VERY busy. new play (Othello) on weekends (hopefully got Desdemona). Quartet. Private lessons. Thursday nights with friends. school. etc.

much sorryness (again),

Mia


	24. The 'Argument'

"Why are you doing this?"

"We are not talking about this again," I replied as I released my arm from Jon's elbow and quickened my pace. It had almost been a year since I had come to the palace. My fiancé, too my relief, I rarely see except for the daily meetings at dinner, the occasional courtly meetings, and the times he came to remind me of the arrangement. I spent the past time making acquaintances at the palace, planning brunches, getting fitted for court matters, and spending time with the prince.

Jon grabbed my arm back and swung me around, the gardeners staring at us as he shouted, "I say we are!"

"And I say we are not," I hissed back before I recovered myself, "You are making an unnecessary."

"Whatever it takes to tell me why you are still with that man!"

Losing my self-control I shot back, "Because I chose to!" The prince quieted at that, pouting and slumping slightly before he recovered himself. Jon performed his roles as a prince with superb enthusiasm and dedication, but at this moment, he looked like a little boy who had just been spanked by his mother. I took a deep breath and said cooly, though coldness coated my speech, "If you do not wish too, you do not need to join me to the stables, your highness." I needed to enjoy myself today after last night, and I was not enjoying this argument.

But the prince would not give up.

"Do you not see what this has done to you? You're not yourself anymore, Elora! You talk differently, you dress differently, you even walk differently!"

"Is that so wrong?" I asked plainly.

"I think so, yes," Jon replied dryly, "You've changed!"

"Of course I've changed!" I roughly whispered, trying to end this and avoid the glances of the servants in the garden, "People change, Jon! This isn't some story where no matter what happens, the people stay constantly the same! Situations effect us and mold us. Would you expect me to stay the same if I had moved to the palace to marry you?"

"No, howev-"

I interrupted Jon's strong words with my own reasonable ones. "If people didn't change, we would all be the same way we were when we were babes! Not all change is good, but it is all necessary. I need you to understand that."

Jon sighed and looked down on me, making me temporarily dizzy. During my speech, I had felt a lot taller than before. Now I felt like I had just fallen down after having flown high in the air.

"I do," the prince replied simply, his strong, monarch, form returning to him. "Shall we," he added with a smile as he held out his arm. I smiled back, accepting his arm.

"Of course."


	25. Fiance

"You look lovely tonight." Zou Zou closed the door behind me as I went to take the arm of my awaiting fiancé.

"Why thank you," I said without having to force the smile on my face as I took his arm. I had learned to ignore the possessive stares Sir Gratanon gave me. It made knowing I would marry him a lot easier, for he was not at all bad to be around when I didn't acknowledge the stare he gave me. Except when...

"I do wish you would choose not to wear that cloak tonight though," Sir Gratanon. I looked at Jon's cloak wrapped about my shoulders. I gazed at all the mends it had in it, the stains, the holes, and I remembered the stories Jon had told me of how he acquired each one. I knew that wearing it angered Sir Gratanon. And I knew his reason why.

"It makes me look like a cuckold for those that know it is his highness's."

"Nobody except you, the king, and the prince himself know it belong's to him," I replied.

"Exactly, the king knows. I do not want to know what his reaction to such a thing would be."

"Good thing his majesty is not going to ride in our carriage then," I answered bluntly.

"But it is such a ratty thing, it ruins your beauty," Sir Gratanon said with a stroke of my cheek. I had to resist the shiver I felt creeping through my body at having to face his gaze. He grazed my lips lightly, though the feeling of it was not at all tender, but just another way for him to say, "You're mine." When he pulled back, my anger at the weakness I felt forced me to make a brave statement.

"Does it bother you that I am wearing the token of another man?" I said with an intimidating- or so I thought- stare. The reaction I received was not at all what I expected. Indeed, Sir Gratanon, chuckled.

"No, my dear. Truly, it is only a sign that our marriage will follow through," he explained cryptically with the smile of a man who knows much more than he should be allowed.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Shall we go now, my dear," he ignored me, trying to lead me forward.

"I will stay here as long as it takes for a reply," I stated firmly, tugging back from him.

"Well, if you insist on staying," he said hoarsely, pushing me back towards my room.

"This was not part of the deal," I reminded him. Fear rushed through me as he pinned me to the door and wrapped one hand around my waist as the other held my arm firmly.

"Neither was my telling you things you do not need to hear."

"Please, let us just go to the ball, Sir Gratanon," I pleaded with as much coolness as I could conjure up. Sir Gratanon looked at me and then pulled back.

"Go into your room and get a different coat if you would. Perhaps that green one of yours," Sir Gratanon ordered. I nodded and turned to open the door, but was stopped when I felt the warmth of another against my neck. "And do try to call me Arturus every now and then. Show the rest of the court that we really are a couple."

"Of course, Arturus," I whispered dryly before I stepped into the room and shut the door behind me. I found Zou Zou standing by my bed with my green coat. I traded the cloak for it, trying to ignore the sympathetic stares she was sending me. I didn't want sympathy right now, I was stuck in my situation no matter how much sympathy I received. For a moment I was angry at Zou Zou, but I realized it was truly the man outside the door I was angry at.

Sending Zou Zou a quick smile, I walked over to the closet. I switched the current pair of shoes I was wearing with another pair. I did not smile at my secret revenge, but cooly opened the door to face my fiancé.

I was careful to cover my feet as I walked down the stairs.


	26. Moment of Joy

"How many so far?" Jon asked me as he led me to the dance floor.

"Twelve!" I announced with glee.

"Amazing!" Jon said with mock joy, "Perhaps thirteen I hope?" I smiled as I linked arms with him and the man next to me in the starting position.

"That depends."

"On what?" We started our steps forward.

"On whether you keep me in a good mood or not," I replied, before the girls split from the line to the other side. Even as I separated from his highness, I could here the light chuckle he let loose under his breath.

Twelve partners and not one injury! Jon and I always made a game at how many it would be. Sometimes it would even be a bet. My high score was twenty-one dances out of twenty-four without a single. My dancing had improved in the past year, but I still had significant trouble avoiding stepping on toes. That's what had kept the game so interesting.

Tonight had been joyous so far. I had really needed it. Not only for the encounter with my fiancé before we left to the ball, but for the night before when he reminded me of the conditions.

It was a small tug of war between me and Sir Gratanon. I would tug at his nerves and he would tug at mine, though neither of us actually broke our promises to each other. The main way I would tug the most was through not acting the happily engaged lady I should. Not showing up for an appointment I had with him and some other people, appearing completely uninterested in him, even overdoing my "love" for him with complete sarcasm, anything to make him know that I would follow what I was forced in to, but I was not doing it willingly.

But Sir Gratanon would not allow me to get away with my tugs.

Every now and then, Sir Gratanon would remind me of what exactly was at risk on my behalf, and how easily it would be for him to take any one of them away. The list was seemingly endless, and yet it was all unforgettable to me what I could lose. If there was anything that I cared for, anything that gave me any sense of self, it was at risk of being taken away if ever I strayed the terms.

But all that was behind now. At this moment, I was dancing with a dear friend in a room filled with joy. As long as I kept myself occupied, and kept the flow of partners consistent, I wouldn't have to face Sir Gratanon.

Dancing was saving me. I found it ironic that the one thing I had once hated doing was the one thing that filled me with so much happiness. I couldn't help the laugh that threw my head back as I circled round to have Jon's hands encircle my waist and catch my other hand.

"Why so happy?" he asked with a grin.

"I love this moment, that's all," I expressed with an insuppressible feeling of delight. I was so undoubtedly happy that when it was my part to perform the finishing twirl, I spun so quickly that my skirts swooped high above my ankles, and my glee soared gloriously at the feeling of flying. Jon didn't expect me to go so fast though, so instead of retrieving me lightly and then bowing. I rammed right into him. Landing with our noses touching and our chests pressed together, Jon struggled to keep our balance, succeeding in the end as I threw my head back once more to laugh as the dancers gave their applause to the orchestra. As I laughed, I felt Jon's arms fold around my waist as mine wrapped around his neck.

"I'm glad to see you so happy," he said to me as my chuckles died down.

"Me too," I said, crinkling my noise and smiling as I stared back in his eyes.

"Elora, come with me. We must return to the palace. We have a long day tomorrow."

Jon and I both slunk out of our position at the sound of my fiancé's voice. I rarely was in such a scandalous position with Jon before, and never in public. I curtsied to the prince.

"Thank you very much for a lovely dance, your highness," I said.

"No, thank you," Jon said, "Your dancing is much improved."

"Good evening your highness."

"Good evening, Sir Gratanon," Jon said, with a chilling tone in his voice. I watched him go as he left.

"Now come, Elora," Sir Gratanon said. The anger in his voice apparent, and I inwardly sighed as I felt the moment of pure joy leave. I placed my arm in his.

Not a word was said was said to each other as we left. Truly the only words spoken were by Sir Gratanon when he asked the servant to go call for our carriage. I did not even bother to say thank you as he helped me into the carriage. I was too scared- especially when I felt the pressure of his grip on my hand.

Assembling myself in the carriage, I kept my gaze straight ahead. I jumped lightly I heard the door of the carriage close and felt Sir Gratanon sit beside me. The darkness of the carriage made the tenseness of the situation grow even more. Opening my mouth, I concentrated on stringing an apology.

"I'm very sorry. I didn't mean for-" but my mouth was stopped as a pair of lips pressed savagely against mine. I tried to pull back, but only managed to push myself closer into the corner of the carriage as Sir Gratanon's mouth pushed more against mine. I began to cry as one of his hands crept up my skirt and the other held my neck.

I moved my face and freed my mouth. "Please, no!" I mumbled through my tears, "It was an accident. I didn't agree to this." Sir Gratanon stopped to look at me with savage eyes, stopping my speech.

"You broke one of my terms, darling. So now I must break one of mine." He then began to kiss me again, but I broke away once more.

"How did I break a term? That was not me having public relatio-"

"I am not talking about your damn prince!" Sir Gratanon growled lowly, "You wore the shoes! I heard some girls gossiping about them and I can see them plainly on your feet!" His hand lifted my skirt some more to reveal the jeweled shoes I had worn as revenge. "And now you will have to be taught that I am not toying with you and our agreement," he added as he removed his hand from my thigh and began pulling my sleeves down. He kissed me some more, his hands running over as much skin as one could in a carriage. I couldn't stifle the cries no matter how long he kept my mouth covered. Sir Gratanon ignored it when the carriage came to a halt and the door was opened.

"Oh excuse me, sir," the young man said, closing the door. Sir Gratanon came away from me slowly to stop the door from shutting.

Sir Gratanon, stepped out of the carriage, and then turned to me. "Come on now, Elora," he ordered. I sat there, shaking violently, and shook my head. "Come now, Elora!" Sir Gratanon demanded, raising his voice. Once more, I shook my head. This was the safest place for me. I was not about to step out of the carriage when I knew I would only be dragged to his chambers.

Sir Gratanon did not like this, and instead of expressing his demand once more, he stepped back into the carriage and pulled me out.

"No!" I screamed, "No!" I was eventually dragged out. Sir Gratanon picked me up in his arms, paying no heed to the bewildered footman. Once in his arms, I stayed still and stopped crying, giving up. Sir Gratanon gave an order for the footman to knock on the palace doors. Once they were opened, Sir Gratanon took me inside. When we were down the hall, he stopped.

"I'm going to set you down on your own two feet," he said, waiting for me to give a response. I stayed silent.

With a sigh, he placed me back on the floor. I stayed silent. I took a couple steps with him before bolting in the opposite direction, only to be picked up again in his arms.

"Don't be naughty now," Sir Gratanon said menacingly over my returning sobs.

"Please don't... please don't," I pleaded the whole time I was in his arms. He finally set me down facing him. I felt the door against my back. "Please... please don't... don't," I continued pleading, looking him right in the eye.

He bent down and kissed me hard. When he released he spoke. "Good night Elora," he said, almost tenderly. I was speechless. He turned away and started walking down the hall. It was only then that I realized where I really was.

I spun around to face my room, not Sir Gratanon's chamber as I expected. I almost burst out in another set of tears right then, but I could not make a sound. My mouth simply hung open. I turned back to the man walking away from me. I tried to speak, but words choked in my throat.

Sir Gratanon paused and then turned around to add finally, "Do not think that I am not taking my terms seriously. Next time I will not hesitate to take anything away from you. Whether it is your maidenhood or any of the other things we have discussed."

I nodded before he made his way back down the hall. Everything stayed silent. It was only when I saw him turn the corner, that I sank to the floor and sobbed.

* * *

A/N: I've been really bad about updating, length of chapter, and review responses, I know, but I seriously have no time what so ever. I'm lucky to even have sat down to write this right now. I'm having a bit of writers block (with all my stories), but a lot of that comes with the fact that I haven't been updating regularly, so it's harder to get into the story. I love you all and I'm sorry to say that I can't skip off to ReviewResponse Land today. 


	27. Death

It had been a month and a half since that awful day. I was in the gardens with Jon now. He had just arrived at the castle. It was very late, but I had stayed up, knowing he was meant to be back this day. He had been away on political affairs. His responsibilities were increasingly consuming. This was understandable. His twentieth birthday was approaching and the king was not growing any younger. I never felt any resentment towards his business before- he was the crown prince after all- but the day I woke up and he wasn't there when I most wanted him was awful. I had Zou Zou though, which was a great comfort.

"So, how have you been?" Jon asked me as we set off to the gardens. His words felt funny. He was changed- grown really. The air around me felt heavy, especially with the night surrounding us.

"Well enough," I replied.

Silence. Heavy silence. I listened to our feet on the stone.

"I missed you," he said, "I missed you very much."

I looked up slowly and smiled, "I missed you too."

He stopped by a bench in a spot of the garden filled with daffodils and purple lady's slippers. We sat down and sighed together. We laughed at our tired unison. Ending the laughter with another sigh I rested my head on his shoulder and we looked out at no where at all.

"I love you," he whispered. I figured Jon didn't mean to say those words aloud. They just tumbled out in a long, quiet breath. That's what I thought.

"I love you too," I let out in a small, tumble of breath. My lungs tightened a bit at the words they just gave air to. Within the silence that followed I was able to think and relax. I did love him. I wasn't quite sure how or in what way, but I loved him.

His hand held mine. I looked at our hands. They glowed from the few torches that lit the gardens. My eyes stayed on them, but my focus strayed as I felt his nose against my jaw. In the time it took for me to turn my head, I thought about so many things I couldn't keep track. It was only right before our lips came together that I felt a moment of peace and acceptance.

During the kiss, I just... vanished. Not completely, just in a way that all I thought about was our mouths and our hands. All the things that should have mattered... didn't. It was beautiful.

Just like the moments before the kiss, the moments after began with bliss and then followed with muddling thoughts. All the things that I did not think of when we kissed came stampeding back.

"Did you really mean what you said?" Jon asked me during the rushing in my head. My chest tightened. I did mean it... and yet, not the way he meant it. My throat ached- punishing me for my stupidness.

My response was a stumbling series of choked, unfinished words.

He got up and began to leave. I stood up too. I refused to have our reunion end in a mess.

"Jon, wait," I pleaded lightly. He stopped and turned around. "I meant what I said. I do love you. I just can not say it is the way you want me to love you." With each word I spoke, he had been stepping towards me, until he finally had our hands clasped together.

"But it is a way," he spoke softly. I stepped back, I saw where this was going.

"Jon..." I said uneasily. His hands moved from my hands to hold my elbows and keep me in place.

"Marry me, Elora." This I did not expect. My head snapped up to look at him. "I haven't said it officially- you've known that is what I've wanted- but here it is. Will you please be my wife?"

"Please, Jon-"

"I would make you happy, Elora. You know I would. If you broke off your engagement and promised yourself to me, no one could question it. We could be happy together. We could live-"

"You know I have more reasons than what other people think, Jon." I pulled back.

"What ever those reasons may be, they are certainly not worth what you are putting yourself through. What ever they may be, _we_ could move past them together."

As I looked at him, I rethought my situation. I knew that Jon wanted marriage, but the idea was so absurd. Impossible even. But him actually saying it allowed me to look clearly at my options.

Staring in Jon's eyes, I thought about every term given me by Sir Gratanon. I was not allowed to wear the shoes that Zou Zou had given me, nor was I able to wear my ring with the simple emerald exposed. Of course I was curious, but asking about it gave me no answers, and pushing the rules only earned me bruises. Simply, if I did not marry Sir Gratanon, or if I broke any of the terms my tree and home would be destroyed. Malyda had a new home closer to the city, but she still kept the estate. It had been almost completely transformed in the past year, to the point that it didn't exist. Fears of servants being trapped in the home had stuck in me too, but Malyda wouldn't dare to make such an error if the prince's wife was on the lookout- at least I hoped she wouldn't. Though it was not the home I remembered, the destruction of it would still rip at me- and the tree! However, as I looked at Jon, thoughts of a joyous future- not to mention an enraged Klara- would almost, if not completely make up for the loss of an already almost nonexistent past. As for the threat on my maidenhood, there would be no way for Sir Gratanon to touch me if I was under Jon's protection. Then I thought of the letter.

There was a letter that my father had written me. I had never opened it, but I had seen the handwriting on the front and it was his. Apparently he had written it at sea when his health was failing. It was to be delivered me on my wedding day. The bank held it, so Malyda's sticky fingers couldn't touch it, but the king's advisor could. Sir Gratanon did not have to say what he would do with it if I strayed the terms. No doubt it would be destroyed no matter how large Jon's authority was.

There was also the matter with the king. King Regamort was still the current ruler and he could barely stand to stare at me without a bit of resentment. Would the marriage of the only heir hold against an enraged king?

The tower clock struck twelve, and broke my thoughts. With a sigh, I could say nothing more than, "I cannot give you an answer. I need the time to think this through." I started away from Jon. I wanted to turn back and say goodnight, give him a quick kiss, but it seemed the ringing of the bell was pushing me to move.

I sped down the hall and then opened the door to my bedroom. I tried to avoid thought in that period, but I could feel my mind drawing nearer to the conclusion that I would not be marrying Sir Gratanon. Closing my bedroom door, I let out a sigh of exhaustion. Zou Zou had already gone to bed as I had told her. I relished in being alone. Stripping from my clothes myself, I put on my night gown and crept into bed. Within me, a fight between exhaustion and the need to think raged. It was a knock at the door that made it so both armies lost the fight.

Slipping on a robe, I called out for them to wait a moment. I tried to ignore the nagging thought that it was Sir Gratanon behind that door coming to talk me out of Jon's proposal. The worst part about this feeling was that it was true.

Peeking my head through the door, I looked at the cold figure before me.

"Oh, hello," I said pathetically.

"We have some matters to discuss," Sir Gratanon hissed.

"Could they wait till morning when I am dressed and rested?"

"No!" he growled, as he pushed the door open and stomped into the room. I stepped back, holding the robe tightly to me. My thoughts raged within me. "Where were you tonight?" he asked.

"Why, sleeping here," I said, knowing within myself that he somehow knew I was lying. Sir Gratanon chuckling only increased my discomfort.

"That's right, you've never before been to my chambers," Sir Gratanon said as he grasped my wrists, "I think you'd like it. It has a lovely view of the gardens overlooking a part of it with daffodils and purple lady's slippers."

I breathed quickly through my nose as my head shot down to the floor.

"Now, Elora. I have made it clear that I have no interest in any little relationships you have, but I will not be played the fool," Sir Gratanon explained as he put his arms at either side of my shoulders, trapping me between him and the door. "Now, would you care to explain to me in what way exactly I should be interested in his highness?"

Looking up at Sir Gratanon and his claiming gaze, I came to a final- though not completely sure or confident- conclusion. Here I was trapped. No matter what I could keep from losing, with this man I was trapped, and being trapped would be no way for me to live. Zou Zou had tried to explain this to me time and time again. Jon had tried too, but I didn't quite understand how trapped I was until I realized what awaited me outside of this cage. I would not now stay put when the door was open.

"He will not be taking anything that is yours," I hissed with a glare. At first, Sir Gratanon smiled, but then he realized the manner in which these words were spoken. Lifting one of his hands off the wall, he smacked me hard across the face, sending me to the floor. Crouching down by my side, he grabbed my hair and made me stare at his eyes.

"No, he will not if he wants to keep his life."

"What are you talking about?" I asked. What he just spoke was treason! He would not be so stupid as to say such a thing.

"Oh, be assured I can do it." He pushed my face to the floor and stood. Approaching the door, Sir Gratanon turned back around to say his final words before his exit.

"If you think this is a false threat, think again. Which one of my terms have been undoable so far? If you leave me, I will be sure that there is no where for you to go so that you will just have to come back.

* * *

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Jon, how are you?" I replied, taking a sip of punch.

"I am not making small talk, Elora. I'm talking about last night," he said firmly.

Last night.. I shivered inwardly, "Just a small lovers quarrel that's all." His hand caught mine, firmly.

"Please do not lie to me," he whispered, "I've had enough of that already." He motioned to the crowd. I knew what he meant. Tonight was his twentieth birthday ball, which basically meant the ball room was stuffed with far too many people, every one of which would pretend they knew every little detail about every other person's life. We both agreed it was disgusting. I myself saw a pair of young ladies who I had caught gossiping about the scandalous affair between the prince and the fiancée of the kings advisor staring at me and Jon. "So how are you truly?" he asked again, coming closer to me.

I pulled away from him lightly, "This is not the place, your highness."

"No it's not," Jon replied, "It never is." With a sigh, he headed out onto the terrace and disappeared into the darkness.

I held my arm, grateful for the gloves that covered the bruise on my arms. There were two more on my legs along with a couple scratches. Sir Gratanon had not threatened to... break the terms, but there had been a couple times recently that he had gotten stressed, and when I let my tongue slip he let his anger out on me. I never got too hurt- it was not near as bad as when I was with Malyda. It was always short and he would end it, but it left a couple bruises.

I thought about my terms, about my situation. My twentieth birthday was coming up in less than three months. Malyda had made it seem it was my eighteenth so that she could be assured she got everything she needed before the wedding. She had... almost. The estate had been almost completely renovated. She had money and power. Claira had been married off to a duke. As for Klara, I knew quite well that Malyda was waiting for the final promise Sir Gratanon had made: marriage to the prince.

It would be less than three months that I would be married. All the plans were arranged. Three days after my "eighteenth" birthday it would be held. On that day I would be married to Sir Gratanon. Zou Zou had begged me time and time again to leave, to forget the plans, as did Jon, but his pleas were less spirited after the night I said I wouldn't accept his proposal.

I looked about the room for Jon as Sir Gratanon helped me into my seat two chairs from the right of the king, but did not see him. This was odd. No matter how much he detested some of his gossiping subjects, he would always make a delighted appearance with a welcoming speech filled with gratitude. For him not to take on his political roles was odd. I tried to think nothing of it, but when the banquet started I became worried. King Regamort held a not so subtle anger before saying that his son had received an urgent call that he had to attend to, and would be here shortly.

We were served a small soup first. The table was filled with more chatter than food, and yet it kept coming. A young man sitting by Sir Gratanon's side, an earl, asked if he could have the pleasure of the first dance with me after dinner. I accepted, sending Sir Gratanon a subtle cold stare, but he was occupied with something else. The king asked for another glass of wine. One servant stepped forward, with a bottle, but was beaten to the task by another.

The king took a sip. He laughed and smiled. When he caught my eye, he smiled without a frown clouding his eyes for once. I smiled back, thinking it was probably just the wine, but not really minding. Then the king did something even more out of the ordinary: he sputtered.

The men at the front of the table rose as the king fell from his seat. The chattering of the table transformed into gasps and screams. Sir Gratanon spun a finger in the glass that the king had drunk from to reveal a powdery residue on his finger. Poison.

Sir Gratanon yelled for the servant who had served the wine to be captured. A couple of guards ran out of the ball room as several carried the still breathing King away. After several minutes they brought back someone and threw him down before me and Sir Gratanon. My gasp was the only one as I saw who it was that was brought to me.

Smelling heavily of wine and wearing the worn out cloak I knew so well over a male servant's attire was Zou Zou.

"Let me go! I have done nothing!" she cried.

I turned to Sir Gratanon, beseechingly.

"It was not her! I would have recognized the servant if it had been," I pleaded. Sir Gratanon frowned, but gave me a quick smile that no one could see.

Taking my hand, he whispered in my ear, "You will hear every witness in the room swear to seeing a servant with long blonde hair and a likeness of a girl serve the wine to his majesty."

"She was about to be taken away on this mans horse," one of the guards announced dragging in another cloaked figure and throwing them on the floor.

Pulling off the cloak from their face, I heard Sir Gratanon let loose the most disgusting gasp I had ever heard.

"Your highness!" he said in shock!

"What is the meaning of this?" Jon shouted, "Release me immediately!"

"You are charged with the murder of the king. Now take him away." Sir Gratanon said calmly, though he coated it with fake hurt. My eyes watered as I went from sending pitiful, hurt, sad looks to the protesting Jon and stabbing glares at Sir Gratanon. The noise of the room increased as ladies fainted and men expressed their disgust and surprise.

"Couldn't even think to make it more private," one of the more gossipy reserved ladies mumbled.

"It wasn't them!" I shout through my tears, "This is a set u-" But my face is crushed into Sir Gratanon's shoulder who starts shushing me gently, trying to make it look like it is simply shock that it making me shout and pound at his chest. Though my screaming made no difference, the pounding on his chest made Sir Gratanon ultimately have a couple of guards "escort" me to my room.

As I fell to the floor in my room, I heard the clanging of the door locking. I searched frantically for the key that could unlock it from inside, but found no sign of it. I went about the room crying and screaming as I tore the room apart. After sinking to the bed and sobbing, I got up again and took the gold ring with the emerald on it from my finger and threw it to the ground where it bounced off out of sight.

Execution awaited the two people I held most dear. Stuffing my face into my pillow, I sobbed and sobbed. The pillow was damp.

I cried on and off for some time before the door to my room was unlocked and opened. For I a moment I stopped crying and allowed my breathing and the foot steps to fill the silence. Flying from the bed, I threw myself violently at the man who had trapped me.

He fought back and overpowered me, but I had managed to punch him in the jaw and make his lip bleed before he grabbed my wrists tightly. I spat in his face. I kicked, I screamed, but in the end I had no more energy left.

"How could you?" I shouted, "How could you be so cruel? I am still with you, aren't I? I'm still here to play your game. So why? What excuse do you have for me? Huh?"

"I'm simply being sure there is no way for you to escape."


	28. Gold Ring

The terms given me by Sir Gratanon were simple: marry him and there would be no executions. Though I was in turn meant not to visit the prisoners, a couple bribes from expensive jewelry Sir Gratanon had given to me were able to fix this. However, the amount I had only earned me access to the "accomplice" not the "assassin". I cried when I saw Zou Zou in the dank dungeon. She told me that she had been tied up only to be untied when she was dragged into the ballroom that night. Jon had been thrown beside her sometime during the ball- the reason why he had not attended dinner.

I begged for forgiveness. This was my fault that she had gotten into this mess. My stupidity was the reason that she may die.

"Shhh," Zou Zou soothed, "It's not your fault. Don't blame yourself for such things. We can make it right. We can always make it right. Even if it is hard to do so."

"'Just because something is hard doesn't mean it's not worthwhile.'" I didn't feel it exactly fit the situation, but it felt right to say it. For Zou Zou too.

"Exactly!" she exclaimed.

Taking off a simple gold ring that I had never thought otherwise about, she gave it to me and directed me to give it to Dan and Dana who would know what to do with it. Dismissing my questions and apologies we hugged and kissed each other on the cheek through the cell bars before the guard reminded me that "time is money" and that I had none left- "Unless time is kisses," he added vulgarly.

So I found my way out to Dana and Dan saying that I would have my wedding dress made by anyone else so that Sir Gratanon would oblige. I felt uncomfortable sitting in the carriage, for Sir Gratanon had kissed me before I had departed- something he was finding the liberty to do more and more. It was a relief to see three friendly faces. Only seeing them every once and a while over the year for dressing appointments and maybe a ball was hard.

"My dear, so glad to see you!" Dana announced with a warm embrace as I stepped from the carriage. After this surprisingly large hug from so small a woman, I was then received by a surprisingly gently hug from a very tall man who said nothing but looked sympathetically sad before sneezing.

"Mow!" I scratched Boots behind the ear. After receiving a friendly lick on the hand I followed Dana and Dan inside. Boots decided he preferred the warm outdoors for now.

"Is anyone else here at the moment?" I asked, looking around the hopefully empty storeroom.

Dan closed the door behind me as Dana answered, "We made sure that no appointment collided with yours, and we are keeping the store closed for you for the next two hours.

"Then I have this for you," I said, pulling out the ring and handing it to Dana who stood before me. Dan came up along side her to see and looked on in sad understanding. "Zou Zou said you would know what to do with it."

Slipping it into her pocket, Dana asked, "How is she?"

"She's coping very well for one who faces treason charges," I sighed.

"And His Majesty?" Dan asked. I looked up with a confused glance, thinking he meant the deceased King Regamort, before registering who he was truly talking about.

"I haven't been able to see Jon," I said. The regular visions of him rotting in a dungeon, knowing that his father was dead and all thought it was his fault flooded my mind. I got to the point, "This is all I have come to do. Sir Gratanon will be coming to bring me back to the castle and he will want to see how much progress-"

"The dress is done, Elora," Dan said reassuringly.

"What?" I asked in shock.

"I finished it about three weeks ago," he told me with a smile, "I already have your measurements and I simply learned from the gowns I had made for you in the past."

"This time is better spent with you, not with the dresses," Dana smiled.

We went upstairs and talked over a small snack. Most of the conversation was darker than I would have liked, but I accepted that it would be difficult to speak cheerfully with all that is happening. I told them the date of my fast approaching wedding (only two months) and- more importantly- the trial for Jon being held a mere week before that and Zou Zou's a mere week after. Many silences followed some of the things spoken. Dana gave me some jewels and money to bribe the guards with. Normally, I would refuse, but the situation made it impossible for me to say no. If she had not given them to me, I probably would have asked.

Though the conversation was sad, we managed to get a laugh in at the end. Taking a bite of some bread warm from the oven, I found that I had to stop my chewing.

"What's for dessert?" I asked with a smile, knowing full well that this was simply a snack and not a meal.

"What?" Dana questioned, confused.

"Whatever it is," I smiled, lifting up a black hair, "I believe it is mine."

Our laughter was interrupted by the ringing of a clock tower bell announcing the hour of three. Sir Gratanon would be coming to receive me any moment, and he would be expecting to see me in the dress. He didn't seem to mind that it was bad luck to see the bride in her wedding gown. Neither did I, for that matter, my luck couldn't get much worse. Quickly making our way down stairs, Dan went to get the dress as Dana help me to undress in the large dressing room.

When Dana left only to return with a beautiful dress, I was almost antsy to get it on, despite the fact I knew this dress would be my end. Once on me, I exited the fitting room to stand before Dan who smiled at his creation. I stood up before the multiple mirrors to admire the fabric.

The dress was white, and yet it was green. It was a simple white gown, something I had not seen much of in wedding dresses. I had expected Dan to create a green gown as he normally did for me, but this was gorgeous. The sleeves did have some cuts in it to reveal some patterned green fabric, but it was done tastefully, supporting my eyes and yet not overpowering the dress. There were small pearls trailing down the skirt, and yet nothing else adorned this dress. The simpleness of it was gorgeous.

"I think it is to beautiful for the brute," said Dana though she kept a smile of admiration.

"Who says she'll wear it for _him_?" Dan retorted. I gave a glance at them both to let them know that this was not the conversation I was looking to have. Dan then came to examine it closely, making small notes of what could be improved. Dana and I both insisted that it was fine as was, and yet I couldn't help but understand why he was thinking this way. Tailors! Such perfectionists!

Dan then brought out a white gauze veil that had tiny pearls embedded in it in a floral pattern. Dana pinned it to my head. It was tremendously long. I made a mental not to hire more people to carry the train and veil. I placed the front of the veil before my face. I could not see much, and yet I was grateful. Perhaps it would keep me from being sick on the alter to not see my grooms face.

"Well, that was rather quick," the deep voice of said groom said from behind me. I saw his figure in the mirror and was not afraid to turn around and face him and meet his stare. The veil seemed to filter out all the possessiveness I would normally see there. "Does this mean that you will not need to return?" Sir Gratanon added.

"There are some adjustments to be made. It doesn't fit quite as it should," I countered, turning back to the mirror.

"I think it looks quite beautiful as is," Sir Gratanon said, placing his hands on my shoulders. It was uncomfortable to feel his hand against my collarbone, even though all this pure, white fabric. In truth, the purity of the dress made it even more unbearable. I had Dana come with me to the dressing room as Dan explained the adjustments to be made and assured him that I would need at least four more appointments before the wedding.

Taking the hand of my fiancé, I gave formal goodbyes to the two who had helped me through so much. In the carriage I stayed as silent as possible. I wondered about the ring that Dana still had. I thought of Zou Zou. I thought back to her words. I had to fix this. This would not be left to time.

It was when I parted from Sir Gratanon after he kissed me once more and told me how beautiful I looked that I decided that I would not be marrying him.

* * *

A/N: Once, more, cannot do review response, and once more, I send a short chapter. You should all expect me not to update very often. In fact, don't expect me to update at all so that when I do update it is a lovely surprise!

Much love, sorryness, and please-don't-hate-me with a side fo cookies for all,

Mia


	29. Searching for an Escape

With great frustration, I let out a small shriek of anxiety and crumpled into a chair.

I had searched Sir Gratanon's chambers time and time again and yet the best evidence I could come up with was Sir Gratanon's finance booklet. Sir Gratanon had a not so surprising obsession with keeping track of money. He wrote all of his finances down in a tiny notebook. Every coin earned or spent; who he received or gave to; and why. He kept with himself, except for when old age decided to keep it at his desk so that a girl in a desperate situation could snatch it up. When I discovered it, it was only a slight shock that he would be foolish enough to write down the large sum of money he had spent on "assistants" and "expenses" on the very day that the king was announced as dead. Of course, the reason why was not given as more than, "For the crown" which could be claimed to be any number of things such as "assistants" and "expenses" on the burial ceremony. There were specific names and needs for the burial listed on the following date but that still proved nothing- especially if Sir Gratanon could bribe people to lie. There would be no way to prove otherwise unless I found funds from another paying for it. Tradition forbid paying for a burial before the death of the king. It was supposedly "bad luck", but all knew it was because King Edmond had executed some men on the counts of treason for it. Though they were executed wrongly, the law that only one man must pay for the burial was established "so that those with treasonous thoughts will feel less wanton to spend their money on treasonous acts".

As I sat, I went through the laws of the kingdom on treason. I had been examining them more frequently in order to know what to look for. Though they would normally have bored me, my determination and lack of time- not much more than a month to Jon's trial!- drove me to study at any moment that I was not playing fiancée, visiting Zou Zou- who often had letters for me to send from the paper and quill I brought to her- or snooping through Sir Gratanon's chambers. Besides, some of the laws were ridiculously hilarious! Such as the one forbidding one to "sing and hop upon one foote on Sundayes"!

My smirk disappeared at my empty hands.

Fiddling with the replacement ring Sir Gratanon had given me (too large this time), I searched for a sudden idea, a momentous thought!

Nothing.

The grandfather clock and court clock sounded. I bolted up from my chair. Sir Gratanon's meeting had ended. Time to leave.

Checking the each room carefully, I made my way to the door.

Foot steps stopped me from opening the door. In panic, I hid behind a couch as the door knob turned. I did not see my fiancé, but as soon as I heard his steps fall to the bedroom, I made a quiet break from the sitting room to the door.

It was the sound of a clink upon the wood floor that stifled my relief of reaching the door.

"Whose there?" Sir Gratanon boomed. Not bothering to pick up the ring that slid from my finger as it had several times before, I ran into the hall.

"Elora!" I heard moments later. I fled around the corner as Sir Gratanon's steps followed quickly. I dove into the first room I could, leaving the door slightly ajar. The chambers I stood in were dark, but I pushed through the black into the bedroom.

"Elora?" Sir Gratanonshouted angrilyfrom the sitting room. I looked about the bedroom for a way to escape.

* * *

A/N: I know. It'sbeenayearandIstillhaven'tfinishedandthischapterwasveryshortandnotmuchofalateoneyearanniversarychapter...

I know. I pretty much suck. Cookies anyone!

Not working?

Okay then. All I can say is I have a chapter on the way and I'm going to start a process where I don't post a chapter unless I have another chapter going too. I would expect MORE FREQUENT POSTS AGAIN for this story! It'll be like old times! YEY! I actually think it might be complete in about... 4-8 chapters (depending on there length and my estimation skills)! That's kind of cool. I am going to focus on THIS STORY so that I don't feel the pressure of having to do about 5 different chapters at one. No review response. Because... I can respond with the message thingers, but I can't reply to unregistered memebers so I've decided NOT to respond AT ALL unless you wow me with constructive criticism or amazing wit! ... or hilarious insanity... that to.

Much love and getting back on trackness...

Mia


	30. A Painting

I could hear Sir Gratanon calling my name and searching through out the room. For several moments there was silence, and I shifted cautiously to get out. Suddenly, I heard the doors of my hiding place open. I shrunk back behind the fabric that separated us and hoped that he would give up the search.

As the doors closed, my body relaxed and I finally sighed after I heard the doors of the chambers close.

I moved through the dresses and oped the doors of the most immense wardrobe in existence. Closing the doors once more, I looked at the dark room I stood in. It was quite astonishing! The wardrobe the size of my attic at the estate, but the bedroom was the size of the diningroom! As my eyes fell upon the emblem of a crown that hung on the canopy top of the huge bed, I realized where I was.

The king's chambers sat cold. Were it not for the accusations of treason on Jon, this room would have been lived in still, rather than left to wait for it's next monarch.

I do not know why, but I felt eager to stay here. Part of me said it was disrespectful, but another part whispered a hope to find some evidence within the room. Sir Gratanon had beenthe king's advisor, after all.I walked through the dark room, tripping over a beautiful foot stool. Finally, I found a candle and some flint. I didn't get much light, but it kept me from falling over again. Coming to a desk, I ran my fingers over the maps and letters that were still strewn upon it. I looked for anything that might stick out to me, knowing full well that I would not find anything.

A painting no more than thirty inches tall with the frame hung above the desk. I lifted my candle to the figure of a little, brown haired prince standing in a garden not looking especially pleased though entirely royal. I raised my free hand to touch the picture of the lonely prince.

I hissed at the sting of burning wax on my thumband fell backward, stupidly grabbing the gold frame of the painting for unsuccessful support. I struggled not to drop the candle as I fell hard on my bottom with a painting heaved against my chest.

"Ow," I moaned lightly, the candle still alight and not burning anything. Setting the candle on the ground next to me. I examined the painting. The front had survived the fall, I gave a small sad smile at the little boy in the painting who wouldn't have imagined being in a dungeon for killing his father. I flipped the painting to the back. To my surprise there was a painting on the back. The canvas had been destroyed, but when I put my fingers across it, the cut felt too clean to be from a table corner. I looked at the canvas. A lady sat in the portrait wearing a green dress, the damaged flap of the canvas flopped across her face. I decided that it must have been the queen. It was odd to hold a portrait of her, there wasn't one portrait of the late queen in all the castle. I lifted the flap, only for the light to go out as the door of the sitting opened, letting in a gust of air and causing me to leap to my feet.

I hid to the side of the open door to the bedroom, holding the portrait tight against my chest. Heavy feet clunked against the floor. The person entered the bedroom. I could not make them out well, but when they were facing the other direction, I slipped out as quietly as I could and then opened the door of the sitting room so I could slip out into the hallway.

An arm wrapped around my waist. A firm hand stifled my scream.

"So there you are, my sweet."I struggled and then spun around to face Sir Gratanon, holding the painting behind my back even though he could obviously see it. His arm stayed firmly on my lower back, but atleast he wasn't holding me like an animal from behind. Releasing me slightly, Sir Gratanon inquired, "What is that you have, my dear?" Stepping back and setting myself free, I folded the painting into my skirt as best I could.

"My secret," I responded.

"There is nothing about you that I do not know, Elora." He began to approach my wickedly.

"Court breakfast will be beginning soon," I deflected, moving in the direction of the dining hall.

"It will most likely end in the same discussion we held this morning. There is no rush." Sir Gratanon grabbed my arm and held me in place. His face was coming dangerously close to mine.

"How was your meeting?" I asked, both trying to avoid a kiss and honestly asking about the political decisions made. It had been a greater concern of mine since my friends- one of which was the crown prince- were charged with treason.

"We came to the conclusion that the late king's younger cousin, Count Geraldton, would be best for the role of king," Sir Gratanon acclaimed with a hard face, as if the thought pained him- which it undoubtedly did.

"This is unfortunate?" I asked, seeing if I could pain him further. Somehow, it only made him smile.

"No. Just odd to hear," he leered. Once more he tried to give me a kiss, but I avoided the lips that a moment ago sneered awfully. I new that would anger him, but I didn't care.

His words were very at ease as he held out his hand, "Come, we should be going." Startled, I dumbly placed my left hand upon his right. It was only after a couple steps that I realized my error. "You seem to have a talent at losing your engagement ring."

I cursed myself. "You wouldn't have happened to have found it would you? I have been looking for it since daw-"

I yelped and dropped the painting as I was jerked around by the wrists to face my raging fiancé. "How many times must I ask you not to play games with me Elora? My finance booklet has been missing for weeks, my papers mismatched, and now your ring on the floor of my chambers as I saw you scuttle away?"

"I was looking in your room and I thought you would be angry if you knew I had lost it-"

"What is it that you take me for Elora? I may not be the man of your dreams, but I am no fool!" he rumbled. I struggled to get free as I willed myself to lie more.

"I was looking for the ring! I knew you would get angry about one thing or another!" I paused as he examined me for a moment. Thinking what to believe. "I may despise you, Sir Gratanon," rage filled his eyes- good, I'm distracting him- as I continued, "Bit you have already won," I finished quietly, with a sign of the rage, the fear, and the hopelessness I truly felt. I couldn't meet his deathly, cold, dark, blue eyes as he stared at me. Finally, my wrists were released.

I watched as Sir Gratanon stepped around me to pick up the painting I had dropped, examining the back side he let out a rough "ha". "So," he said to me, "what do you think of this?" The portrait of the prince waved in front of me.

"I think it is a fine portrait."

"And the back?" he asked with curious humour.

"I do not know, I did not see more than the dress," I answered, raising my eyebrow.

"Aaaah," Sir Gratanon spoke with a satisfied nod, before tucking the portrait under his shoulder. "I hope you will be comfortable entering the Dining Hall unaccompanied. I'll just be placing this where it belongs." He motioned to the paintings. "Reassure the court that I will be there shortly."

"Of course, my lord," I replied out of duty, as he kissed my hand and then my cheek.

Later, when I checked the king's chamber, the painting was absent.

* * *

A/N: See! That was a pretty sweet update time... sweet-er than the last at least.Not a very long chapter, but I'm getting back into the funk of it! I have a long chapter on the way that Ihopeto getup by the end of the day!Woot! 

Yeyness to being back in the funk of it,

Mia


	31. Visits

Later, when I checked the king's chamber, the painting was absent.

* * *

"Good evening Cindrelle,"the guard greeted me- in the kinder version of my new court nickname (spread by the illustrious twisted twins).

"Good evening Avidan," I replied with a smile. "Good evening gentlemen," I greeted the other guards. The guards bowed their heads and then left me and Avidan alone out of habit. When they were out of ear shot I asked, "Have you had a change of heart?" Avidan shook his head with a sigh.

"I am sorry," Avidan apologized sincerely. The first time I had come to Jon's dungeon I was covered in soot (the reason for the nickname I usually despised) after grabbing burning letters from the fire in Sir Gratanon's room- the unaddressed letters from unnamed assassins would have been better evidence had it been better linked to Sir Gratanon. I had attempted to bribe Avidan, the obvious leader of the group, but soon found he was the most honest of men which I would have thought a good thing, were he not standing so sturdily in front of the path to Jon.

"I understand," I sighed, lowering my eyes. "And yet," I continued, raising my gaze to the old man's dark brown eyes, "I do not."

"It is my duty-"

"To keep the guilty imprisoned. His highness-"

"Is on trial. It is my job to hold the _charged_." He sent me the firm glance he always had.

"But he has done nothing!"I shot back, my temper slipping.

"I wish to believe that, Elora, but the evidence is against him and my orders are to let none in."

"Do you think it is fair for him to have all this evidence pushed against him without having a chance to push back?" I questioned.

"The innocent will not fall to the blade."

"Let us hope so," I answered coldly before softening a bit. "How is he?"

"Lonely, but coping like a true monarch."

"Will you tell him I came?" I asked.

"Of course," Avidan answered, with a smile, "It raises his spirits to know you visit- or try to." Avidan glanced out to nowhere for a moment. I knew he was thinking of letting me in. I also knew that he wouldn't. "He sends his love." I melted. From love and from guilt.

"I thought you refused to be a messenger! That could be a treasonous message you just gave me!" I averred playfully. Avidan simply laughed as I walked away.

"Elora!" I turned back to the guard.

"Yes?"

Avidan smiled, uncertainty shining through his strong, firm, soldier's stance. "When his highness goes to the stocks, I'll be there with the other guards. When the square clears, I see no reason why his highness could not be temporarily released from the stocks- the custom is an old one anyway- and some visits from a loved one would be the least we could grant our prince the coming days before his trial." I felt a pang of hurt, remembering the punishment for simply being accused of treason, but also felt the relief of having a chance to visit Jon who would- since he is still up for the thrown- be guarded from.

"Thank you Avidan. It is something," I replied with gratitude.

"It is not what you had expected," Avidan spoke with slight disappointment.

"Not at all," I smiled lightly, "But it will have to do."

I left slightly more contented. I headed towards prison with quill, ink, and parchment in hand. In the other hand, I held a letter addressed to her, a bag of food, and a purse of bribe money which I immediately passed to the single guard who stood by the metal door. He had already began opening the door for me.

"Good evening, miss," Rodrey grinned through a dirty, unshaven face. What a disgusting man, but at least he took bribes.

"Good evening," I replied, handing him the purse which was lighter than I would have wished. He looked inside and weighed it with his hands.

"Only ten minutes this time, lass," Rodrey determined with a rough voice.

"Ten? That should buy at least thirty!" I shot back in rage. He shook his head, his grin still in place.

"Her trials soon ma'am. It's riskier to let in visitors. More risk means more money. Ten minutes," he reinforced. With a sigh I gave in, took the lantern he had lit for me, and stepped inside the dungeon. As the door closed, I came to Zou Zou's cell where she stood to meet me.

"Hello, Elora." I could see Zou Zou's form in the dim light. She was much older than the girl I had met two years ago. Much more beautiful, but obviously more worn and unhealthily thin. She smiled at me with her pretty, chapped, red lips and her dazzling blue eyes. I sent her my smile in return, hoping it showed the same optimism hers did. "Any news from the outside world?"

"I have a letter that I received from Dana and Dan this morning."

"Still 'getting fitted for your dress'?" Zou Zou said with the same brightness she had when I first met her.

"Oh yes," I smiled as I passed her the letter, "I brought you some food, but read the letter and write first. I only have ten minutes this time." I slid the bag filled with cheese, bread, and a jug of water through the bars of the dank cold cell as Zou Zou opened and read her letter.

"So, how are you?" Zou Zou asked as she slid the letter in the sash on her dress. I raised an eyebrow.

"I did bring pen and paper-"

"Don't worry about the letters. I'm done," she stated with another smile, "Tell me how you've been and what you've found."

"Well, all I've found are some vital letters from assassins- unsigned and unaddressed however- and a parchment listing all the expenses of the king's funeral, which does not match up with the expenses in Sir Gratanon's finances booklet. So basically, I have mediocre evidence that could be easily unlinked from Sir Gratanon, unless I find sign of another paying for the king's funeral and can pinpoint the people in the finances book to the assassination in two weeks. How am I then? Horrible." Just thinking about my lack of ability to save the two I love was pushing me farther into sadness. Speaking it was killing me. "Oh and then there's the fact that my marriage is coming up and so far, it appears as if I will be forced into marriage unless I miraculously find the way to protect you two."

"Things will fall into place. Keep looking. I've been working on it myself," Zou Zou motioned to her letter, "And don't worry about me. Jon I would worry about. Yourself, most of all, I would worry about. As for myself, you can trust me to be safe and you can trust me to always be there for you. So keep your head up. 'Just because something is hard doesn't mean it's not worthwhile' right?"

"Right," I assured her with a small smile. We turned to here the doors of the dungeon creek open.

"Times up!" Rodrey yelled. I turned back to Zou Zou.

"Don't marry that ogre what ever you do. Things will work out."

"I promise. I'll be sure to visit you soon," I swore.

"Don't bother. I'll see you at the trial," Zou Zou said with a wry smile on her face.

"What-"

"No money, no time!" Rodrey yelled.

"You'll see," Zou Zou said, "Now go." I squeezed her arms through the bars and then got up to leave after gathering up the parchment and such. I gave one last look to her dark shadow- which somehow still had a bright feeling to it- before finally leaving.

I watched Rodrey close the huge metal door with the same glum heart as before. Except now, I felt more fear and, most importantly, more hope.

With the little time left that I had previously thought would be taken, I searched Sir Gratanon's room. The optimism and will I had for success held me in high hopes as I went over the room I had broken into so many times. Having started with a hopeful heart, I only found myself as I had so many times before- empty handed.

* * *

A/N: Okay, so that wasn't within the day. I got busy and couldn't finish it, and today was Zou Zou's birthday! Happy birthday to her! Thanks, once more, for the continuing support. I think this story will be finished in at most five chapters! Scary! At the end I will be going back and editing it so that it fits into about 20-some chapters rather than approaching forty since some of the chapters are easy to combine and on my computer this chapter is actually chapter 20. I'm shooting to have the next chapter by Wednesday but whether it is earlier, later, or exactly on Wednesday is up to my schedule! I will be shooting for the earlier one of course because I love you guys! You are such wonderful readers! Cookies and apple pie for all!

Much loooooooooooove,

Mia


	32. Gossip

"Good evening Lady Elora."

"Good evening Lady Dumpling," I replied. A plump woman whose shape matched her name stood before and let me into her parlor where several other ladies sat. She was quite a bit aged, with greying hair, and a wrinkly face, but her eyes were a kind brown and her cheeks a warm read. After saying my good evenings to each of them- some I smiled at genuinely, others I had to force a smile for- I sat down amongst them.

It was a beautiful room I sat in, with delicious food, and proper ladies to add to the scene. The atmosphere was formal, but the women showed their darker side as they began to gossip. I heard of things I never would have expected. It was slightly uncomfortable, but eventually I found it simply entertaining.

"Oh, tush! I never heard anything so absurd!" Lady Dumpling announced, her double chin folding twice more as her head pulled back.

"It's true! I saw it with my own eyes! They were embracing in the gardens, her husband was but twenty feet away inside the castle walls at the time," Lady Grettin, a stringy, blonde, crow of a woman I did not like so much claimed.

"Why must we sully our skirts in such topics? It is not our business to intrude on such scandals. Let people be faced with the consequences they have brought upon themselves," Lady Thomkin, a lady I much liked, interjected.

"Well said, Lady Thomkin," Lady Dumpling agreed.

"You would say so, Lady Thomkin. I suppose you were not 'sullying your skirt' when you revealed my dear sister to her husband," Lady Grettin almost hissed over her pastry. Lady Thomkin towered back, the rest of the women glancing at her in sympathy.

"It is sometimes a person's duty to clean up a mess when it is presented to them. But it seems it is only presented to them by gossips like yourself," there was a deep silence at Lady Dumplings words, "Be careful in what you say, for you are not alone in your nature. I may very well choose to share a certain rendezvous with a certain young, married woman and a Sir Doston I had stumbled upon."

Lady Grettin paled at that. I could not hide the small chuckle I let out behind my cup.

"And how is his highness these days, Lady Elora?" Lady Grettin shot at me venomously. My smile fell.

"I do not know what you mean," I said, "I have not spoken with him since before his imprisonment like all of you."

"But I'm sure I've seen you go to his cell. You must know how he fares," Lady Grettin smiled, "But perhaps you speak true and you have not in fact _spoken_ with his highness." I rose slowly, holding on to my remaining dignity.

"Lady Dumpling, thank you much for having me. I hope you understand that there are some things I will not participate in," I told her.

"I understand most surely. And I feel much the same," Lady Dumpling said as she rose before turning to Lady Thomkin who sat with a pasty smile, "Perhaps Lady Thomkin would prefer to return later when she has learned the act of propriety as well as our dear friends Lady Thomkin and Lady Elora have."

Lady Thomkin sat, looking at Lady Dumpling and I with fire in her eyes before rising swiftly and proclaiming, "I never thought I would be so insulted!" She started to stomp out the door that Lady Dumpling held open, before stopping and smiling. "Oh! You two have finally arrived! Unfortunately I must now inform you that this is no such place for true ladies!" Lady Thomkin glared at me before the twisted twins.

"What is it that Cinderella has done now?" Klara smiled viciously.

"Oh, only not speaking with the prince!" Klara shot me a worse look than I could have ever expected from her.

"But what has she _done_?" Claira asked.

"I must ask you three to step away from the door please," Lady Dumpling cut in before Claira's question could be answered.

"We would not wish to stay," Lady Thomkin spat, "Come _ladies_." Klara, Claira, and Lady Thomkin turned quickly, noses high, and disappeared behind the closing door.

"My apologies to all of you," Lady Dumpling offered, "Especially to you Lady Elora. Please, sit." I did. There was an awkwardness in the air for quite some time.

"I do not mean to dampen the mood any further, but I feel the need to ask: What exactly is being said about me in court?" I asked with a light smile.

"There is no need to worry yourself with such matters," I heard from Lady Dumpling.

"Maybe, but it is something I wish to know."

"Are you sure?" Lady Dumpling asked.

"Yes."

"Well then..."

Only five minutes later was it that I had learned that a good sum of court had been saying that I was a power hungry peasant who, once I had sunken my claws into Sir Gratanon, had set my sites on the Prince himself in pursuit of becoming queen. Apparently I had taken advantage of court events, doing unable things in the palace gardens with his highness. There was even a small rumor that I ad set up the execution of the king, framing the prince in hope that Sir gratanon would succeed the thrown and take me with him.

"But this, of course, is more ridiculous than the rest, especially considering that there was a small rumor that you had set your sights on the king himself," Lady Dumpling added after I had been told of the assassination rumor.

"What?" I choked on a glass of cider, something I had done several times. I really should put down the glass.

"Well, some of the older court members did not find that it would be too difficult for you, just considering..." Lady Dumpling paused.

"Considering what?"

"You do not know?"

"Not in the least."

"Well," Lady Dumpling began, "There are many beautiful women in court, but your beauty stands out for its amazing rese-" A knock upon the door interrupted her words. All turned to look as a maid opened the door. There stood Avidan.

"Sorry to interrupt," he said with a bow, "But I would wish to speak with Lady Elora on a matter concerning the crown." I rose, curious, worried, anxious, and slightly annoyed.

"Thank you for having me Lady Dumpling. It was a pleasure to speak with all of you. Hopefully we can continue this conversation later."

"Of course. You are always welcome. Though you must be incredibly busy with your wedding coming up and such."

"Oh, I am sure I will have time enough to spare. Good evening to all of you," I curtsied lightly.

"Good evening, Lady Elora," Lady Dumpling spoke for the group. Avidan held a courtly arm out for me. I took it and he led me down the hall. He said nothing. Finally, he led me to an empty study, closed the doors and turned to me.

"So what is it?" I asked, impatient.

"Were you in any way involved in the escape the prisoner Zou Zou?"

"What? She escaped?"

"So you were not a part of it," Avidan sighed in relief, running a hand through his jet black hair.

"Hold on! If you are going to drag me out to interrogate me, you should tell me what it is you are interrogating me about! What is this about Zou Zou escaping?"

"I was guarding her this morning. Rodrey was asleep in a drunken stupor. You were right when you said she was a great girl, although she seems much shyer than you made her out to be-"

"You're getting off topic," I reminded him.

"Well, as I came in to bring her some breakfast, someone was able to sneak up from behind me and knock me over the head. I was out cold! And by the time someone found me, the girl was gone!" Avidan sounded disappointed in himself, but not as sad as I would have expected, "I was careless in not making sure the door was closed behind me, it was my fault in that respect, but I was wondering if perhaps you were one of the conspirators since you expressed a deep bond with her."

"Well, no! I have only just heard it from you!" I smiled, "She sounded so sure the last time I spoke with her!"

"You spoke with her in the dungeon?" Avidan gasped.

"It was Rodrey who was guarding the cell, Avidan. Where do you think all that money for ale was coming from?" I told him.

"This is preposterous! I have been stripped of my rank which has been given to that bumbling drunkard!" Avidan announced in exasperation.

"What?" I questioned, the mood going darker.

"What would you do with a man who can not keep track of a imprisoned girl?"

"What will I do for seeing Jon in the stalks?" I asked concerned.

"Perhaps you can bribe them!" Avidan offered, disgusted.

"Oh, I am sorry, Avidan. How bad is it?" I asked sympathetically. Avidan sighed.

"It is not the end of the world. I have only gone down a rank, falling to a standard guard of the crown, which is much better than a guard of the gates or a simple foot soldier. Do not worry for me," he told me, "There is some joy in it for you, no? Your friend is free."

"Yes, she is, isn't she?" I smiled.

* * *

A/N: That took me way longer than expected. Thank you all so much for the continuing support. I have been terribly and as a result all the homework was loaded on me from when I was sick and I had no time to do it since I had rehearsal for "Fiddler on the Roof" every night, a concert last Wednesday were I had my violin solo in a Vivaldi Concerto that I had to work on, and an audition in April I have to work on that I am not ready for. But it is Spring break! Woot! Which means that: I have time to write! Spring break has been okay so far. I had a Celebration of Life to go to on Friday (which is the hippie way to have a funeral) for my favorite teacher. I cried. But it was good closure. Then I had a concert with my quartet that night at a meeting of families whose loved ones are in the National Guard. People thought we were professionals! Then I had another concert with my quartet for the children (4-11) of people in the National Guard. That went pretty well. We made animal sounds on our instruments for the kids to guess what they are and then we played Twinkle, Row Row, Frere Jacques, and some other stuff for them to sing to as well as some upbeat Tangos for them to dance to. The hotel we had to stay at for that was pretty bad... really bad actually, but I had an okay time. Good Experience.

Oh no! I have a play to go to in 30 minutes! I was planning on doing review response! But no can do! Sorry! I promise for next time I will throw you all a Authors Note party with review response stuff and food!

Have a great break!

Mia


	33. Atlast

Though dusk was falling, the town square was overflowing with people. To my relief, the majority of them were supporters of the prince, baring gifts- mainly food- for the prince. This fact made it easier for me to endure the struggle it took me to reach the front. Once there, however, I almost wished I had never come.

Rodrey and his men were making sure that any gifts these people could not afford to buy were received heartily- for their own stomachs. Or if they would not gobble the gifts up themselves, they would hand them to the few who did not support their monarch for a fun throwing.

I looked past the beer-bellied guards to poor Jon resting within the stocks, a tomato splattered through his hair. He kept his head up and smiled at his kind people, even acknowledging the few who shouted and hissed. Despite how well composed he seemed, no one could miss the worn look of grief in his face. His gaze was slightly distant, no doubt taking him to a happier place. A strand of his light brown hair stuck to his brow. How I wanted to step forward and place that strand behind his ear where I would whisper to him that it will all be fine. But so far the guards weren't even letting anyone in spitting range of the prince and I did not know if everything would be fine. In fact, my unwillingness to believe in what may happen in a few short days was the only thing keeping me from insanity. I looked to Jon again, eyes distant but smile bright. It seemed to me his duty as prince was the only thing keeping him from crumbling himself.

"'Ey looky here!" Rodrey shouted, "Another basket of tomatoes for his highness! Men, would you care to help me deliver 'em?" Some of the guards stood silent, but the others sneered and laughed along with Rodrey and went for the basket. I couldn't stand and watch this.

"Do you think that would be wise?" I growled, grabbing Rodrey's ready arm. The crowd's loud bustling grew quiet, or perhaps it was just me. I saw Jon look up and smile, I refrained from beaming and weakening my appearance. Rodrey looked down at me in shock. "Or would you prefer be charged with treason?" Rodrey flinched and then recovered, shaking me off with a wide smile.

"He is but a prisoner! Besides, the wretch will be sent to the gallows shortly. Perhaps I'll be lucky enough to do the job myself! In fact, I'd like to see him done for today-" Rodrey stopped after realizing what he was saying.

"I wonder how many people here can admit to hearing you wishing his majesty dead, along with other treasonous remarks I must have missed out on."I took his arm again, "Perhaps you should rethink how you appear in public, incase some of your own guards decide your remarks are going to far." I looked around at the honest men he had with him, who after fearing their positions for a moment, stepped forward. I then added, "Remember, he is still our prince until the trial decides otherwise." Rodrey growled at his men and then at me, but he lowered his arm and commanded the others to follow suit. I only smiled at him, pulling out a heavy purse, though not handing it over. "Now, on to the next matter. I would like to buy some time from you once more, but with his highness this time." Rodrey's eyes were glued on the fat purse in my hands.

Finally, he snapped out of his trance, and as night finally flooded the skies he shouted the order for everyone to move on out. It was time for the prince to head in to the town jail cells for the night, for his safety of course. I lost track of everything as everyone scattered hurriedly this way and that. Even the ground I stood on seemed to be making its way to someplace important.

When finally I had a stable sense of where I was standing, I was able to see Rodrey's grim figure motioning for me to follow him into the wide, stately town judicial building. After I handed him the purse, he took me past the guards who sat in the intense, clean court room, down long flights of stairs to the jail cell doors. It was here I handed him the large purse, after which I was let inside the heavy door, which was quickly locked behind me.

I was finally going to see Jon. My stomach clenched, from joy or grief I could not tell. I stepped forward, my footsteps echoing off the stone walls. Regular lanterns lit my way as I walked past many occupied cells, though none of the occupants were Jon. The people I stepped past all pleaded for me to help them in one way or another. Some simply asked for food or drink. Some to send a message to their family. Some reached to tug at my skirt and beckoned me to do other things. I would simply shiver and step along, though I couldn't help but think how many of these prisoners where innocent as my friends. Probably more than I would expect.

I began to pass vacant cells and unlit lanterns, and yet I was sure I had not past Jon. After having walked for some time, I almost decided to turn back when I spotted a shadow from the side of my eye and gasped.

"Hello?" My eyes began to water at the sound of his voice. I took several slow steps forward and turned to the cell. He rose immediately and said with a smile, "Elora."

I quickly wiped away the tears that had escaped my eyelashes and rushed to the cell. Jon grabbed my wrists through the bars and I reached to grab his unshaven face to kiss him for the first time in far too long.

I was the first to pull back and, looking at him and smiling sadly, I made the confession that I had finally come to terms with only after Jon was taken from me, "I'm sorry I hadn't told you before Jon, but I love you. I love you so much that it terrifies me and I don't want to lose-"

"Shh," Jon soothed, wiping away my returning tears. He did not try to assure me that this mess would soon be swept away and he did not attempt to even ease my worries. He just laid my forehead against his through the bars of the cell and did not lie to me. It was a relief not to be lied to for a change.

I calmed quickly and then Jon began questioning me lightly of what was happening in the outside world. He knew what he was facing and that the evidence was against him. I told him about Zou Zou's secrecy and how she had escaped. I told him of my theory of Sir Gratanon being at fault and told him about the little evidence I was able to bring against him.

"It's not enough though," I finished sadly, looking down at the damp stone floor.

"You have done all that you can," Jon said lightly.

"And all I can do is still not enough," I chided myself, looking up into Jon's brown eyes. Jon held my jaw lightly with his thumb and forefinger. "Besides," I continued, "I still feel like there is so much more to be found. As if there is something that I have not even come to think of yet to be discovered." We gazed at each other silently- sadly.

I startled and looked the hall at the sound of footsteps.

"Times up!" Rodrey called as he continued his path towards us.

I turned back to Jon quickly and searched for some final words. At last I gave him an important set of words I had foolishly forgotten, "I'm sorry for the loss of your father." Jon sighed and looked away at that, only to turn back to gaze at me once more.

"It is odd to feel grief in losing someone I never really had," Jon smiled softly. Then, clutching both of my hands, he said, "But now I have something to lose."

"Let's get going now!" Rodrey called from not to far off, "Time is money!"

"I won't give up. I promise," I swore to Jon before we leaned in through the bars for a final kiss.

rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrn

A/N: Wow... I suck... really badly. But I have FINALLY updated! So please don't kill me! I have not forgot about you and I appreciate all of those readers who continue to give me huge support!

FOR ALL: I am going to make a partay challenge. I'm having a scavenger hunt to make me update since I have no time but lots of respect for insane people! Here it is...

Tell me how many times:

1. Elora has been beaten and I will update within 3 weeks

2. Elora has cried and I will update within 2 and ½ weeks

3. Elora has shivered and I will update within 2 weeks

4. Elora and Jon have kissed and I will update within the WEEK

5. Jon has laughed and I will update within 5 days!

Rules: The days start counting from the first review!

IN ORDER FOR ONE NUMBER TO WORK, YOU WILL HAVE TO HAVE DONE ALL THE OTHER NUMBERS BEFORE HAND! (example: If you have done number 4 and you want it to count, you will have to have done numbers 1-3 as well)

CHEATING IS ALLOWED! For all of you who don't want to go back and read it all again so you, YOU CAN LOOK AT OTHER PEOPLE'S ANSWERS AND WORK FROM THERE! Or, even better! YOU CAN ALSO COMPLETELY LIE TO MY FACE BECAUSE I HAVE NO BLOODY IDEA WHAT THE ANSWER TO ANY OF THESE ARE! If you are going to lie though, make it obvious and FUNNY!

I will continue coming up with games for the next few chapters that we have left (IT'S ALMOST DONE!) and then I will celebrate peoples answers and give the review response party I promised in the final chapter! Fun? I think so!

Then let the games begin!

-Mia


	34. The Wardrobe

The setting could not be more inappropriate.

The gowned ladies laughed at the jokes of their finely dressed lords who held sweet wines in glittering cups which were only to be set down if these pretty gentlemen decided to swirl their darling ladies about for a dance. The lights shined almost as sweetly as the stars. I think the moon was the only one who knew the sad truth.

It was absent from the sparkling sky.

I did not blame it. I did not think I could stand here much longer myself in this beauty, celebrating the arrival of the great Count Geraldton, come to take the role of king. That is, if, god forbid, our prince is proven guilty in next days trial.

Listening to these people was making me sick. I had to leave.

"Thank you, but I must decline. I find I have no appetite for dancing." I replied to the count who had asked me for a dance after our conversation in which I had delivered my responses, but with little heart.

"Are you not well? Perhaps, you should lie down. Come, I will find you a chair," the count proclaimed kindly. However, this man was not my prince, and until someone could assure me that this imposter would not be needed to take charge of the thrown, I could not bare to like him in the least.

"I am flattered by your kindness, and yet what I meant was I have no appetite for a _ball_ at present," I paused to stop the bitterness from fleeing my tongue, "I hope I do not sound rude saying this, but it is simply too much joy for me to handle and I must ask if I may depart for the evening."

"Of course. I understand." And I think he did too.

"Thank you, your grace. Would you be so kind as to tell my betrothed that I have gone if you should see him?"

"It is a promise. Good night, Lady Elora." He took my hand and bowed.

"Good night." I curtsied and then turned to leave. I was almost out of reach of the excessive joy of the room when I was stopped.

"Leaving so soon Cinderella?" I constantly wonder at whether life can get any worse. I always seem to find the same answer.

"Yes," I said to Malyda, "I do not seem to be feeling well and I felt that no one was gaining from my sulking about."

"Perhaps if you thought less on the fact that your lover is going to die and more on the good that is to come of it, you would not be skulking around so much," Malyda advised with an innocent pout. I did not flinch. She did not deserve my defeat.

"And what good could ever come from our country losing a beloved prince?" I asked, a bit sourly though.

"We'll be rich!" Claira said brightly. Klara stepped on Claira's foot. "Ow!"

"Richer than you are now? After all Sir Gratanon has given you!" I asked.

"We'll be getting more once he's king! Ow! Quit that Klara!"

I looked at pouting Claira and her ever innocent relatives with shock. It was impossible! Sure, Sir Gratanon would love to be king, but it was impossible! I had checked every law, not to mention, every speck of his chamber. Whatever his plans might have been, they were not plans to gain the crown.

"Would you care to tell me more about how Sir Gratanon will become king, Claira?" I asked with a kind, interested smile. Malyda and Klara both looked like they were about to cut in with glowering looks, but Claira answered first.

"Oh no! It's an incredible secret!"Claira announced proudly. Malyda and Klara shook their heads.

"Well then," I said, with a small bit of disappointment, "I suppose I will be off to dream of such a wonderful thing." I turned to leave without the proper curtsy.

"You mean," Klara spoke, "You will be off to search Sir Gratanon's room once more?"

"So the devil knows more than I thought." I said bitterly now, "And he tells his minions." I looked over my shoulder to the three grinning girls. "Go ahead! Fly to him and tell the devil that I am off to pick his lock and tear his room to pieces until I find all his secrets." I turned to leave for what seemed the hundredth time, but expected the stop this time, though not the words that would stop me.

"He wouldn't care anyway," Claira laughed, "It's not as if he keeps _those_ details in _that _chamber!" I had to hold down my extreme shock and curiosity so that I could turn around while appearing calm.

"That's enough Claira," Malyda hissed quietly. But I do not think Claira heard her, she was laughing so outrageously.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked in the attentive and polite way Claira loved.

"Why!" she exclaimed, "Where does the king keep his most precious secrets?"

I gave a tremendous look of confusion as I watched Claira continue to laugh and then watched as the rest of her family, seeing my face, laughed right along with her.

"What a silly girl! You can't even understand her!" Malyda insisted. Claira didn't even think on the insult, but just continued smiling.

I smiled a bit myself before I mumbled, "Goodnight." And finally turned to leave.

I had to calm my anxious feet until I had turned the first bend in the hall, at which point, I ran.

I slowed to catch my breath as I neared my destination. I stopped and trembled from anticipation as I stared at the gold lined sight before me. Finally, I reached a shaking hand out.

The door to the king's chamber opened with a light creak. I slid inside the dark room, but left the door slightly open as I searched for a light. I lit a short candle that sat on a nearby table then shut the door and immediately made my way to the king's bedroom.

It was rather ingenious of Gratanon actually, to hide his secrets in here. Who would ever think that the plots to destroy the crown were within the king's chamber? Not that anyone came here after the king's death anyway.

I searched the king's bedroom frantically. The first place I went to was a desk that sat under the missing painting, but the papers that still sat upon the desk were of the late king. I searched every drawer. Nothing. I peaked under the bed and lifted the heavy mattress- to no avail.

I then remembered the wardrobe. Hidden in the darkest part of the room, I found it. This time, to my frustration and delight, it had a lock hanging from the finely engraved handles.

I set the candle on the floor near me and bent over to look at the gigantic, metal lock. Removing a couple clips from my head, I began to struggle with the lock. Though it felt like I was doing everything right, the lock wouldn't budge.

"Come on. Come on!" I whispered in exasperation.

Click.

I couldn't breath at I watched myself pull down on the huge lock, remove it from the handles, and finally, standing upright, open the door to the great wardrobe. There were no fine gowns inside it this time. In fact, it was almost entirely empty, except for one thing.

Leaned against the back of the wardrobe sat the painting of the woman in the green dress.

I picked up my candle and stepped inside the wardrobe. Going to my knees, I set down my candle once more and lifted the painting to me. Hidden behind it sat the shoes Zou Zou had given me for a present, with the emerald-jeweled engagement ring I had lost sitting between them. Inside the cut flap of the canvasses, I found piles of papers. Pulling them out, I found they were mainly letters. Just by glancing at some, I was able to find references connecting Sir Gratanon to the murder! However, I read nothing on how Gratanon would be able to gain the crown. But that wouldn't matter now that I had proof of Sir Gratanon's guilt! This was it! I had him!

I began to pile the letters back into the canvas. I paused when I spotted a certain letter labeled, "To my daughter". I immediately thought, the letter from my father! And yet...

I turned reluctantly and lifted the cut flap of the painting. I let it drop again with a strangled gasp.

What happened next struck me so fast that I couldn't even manage a reaction. The wardrobe doors closed behind me, blowing my candle out. I only twisted around in time to hear the click of the lock and the cackling of my step-family. I scrambled in the darkness to the doors and hit my hands against them.

"Malyda! Let me out!" I demanded.

"When you can ruin my plans to perpetual wealth?" came her amused voice, "I think not."

"I'll scream! Someone will hear!"

"That would not be wise. Seeing as you were snooping through the late king's things, a crime, no doubt! Thank god we spotted you slipping inside and caught you!" The realization of this truth was a punch to the lungs. There was a law against anyone entering the king's chambers without express permission. I was locked inside a wardrobe. Had I come this far just to be trapped? "And unfortunately, my dear Cinderella," Malyda continued, "There is only one person with a key to that lock, and it isn't me." I smacked my hand against the wood as I began to sob.

"Oh! Listen to her crying!"Claira clapped her hands together.

"Don't fret Elora," came Klara's sickeningly sweet voice, "We'll let you out in time to see the prince hang."

"You won't win! You can't win!" I shouted to them, "You must know that! Someday all your wealth will come to nothing! Your deeds will catch up on you!"

"Oh Elora, you seem to underestimate what wealth can give a person." I imagined the sinister smile I knew Malyda held. Her daughters must be at her sides with the same wicked grin.

"Come girls," Malyda ordered now, "Let us leave her here and warn Sir Gratanon of her whereabouts." I there footsteps. "You know," Malyda said over her footsteps, "It is actually quite fitting. The key secret is now sitting with all the rest!"

Their laughter was smothered by the closing of the door.

A/N: HEY! Look at me! I rule! WOOT! I haven't updated this quickly since last year! (That's really sad that this is taking me like a year and a half!) Anyway, though the scavenger hunt wasn't the biggest success, some of your answers were very funny so I had to update within four days for all of you!

This time though, I'm just asking for EVERYBODY WHO IS STILL READING TO PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW!

I just want to see whose out there, since my hits on the chapters don't match with the reviews AT ALL! I know I have been bad at updating... but I want to know who is still out there! Just have a check up on who my readers are.

THIS IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO YELL AT ME FOR BEING AWEFUL AT UPDATING!

To make it more specific... how about I follow the example of fairygirl716, the auther of "Love?", and say I WILL UPDATE WITHIN 24 HOURS OF WHEN I RECIEVE AN EXTRA TWENTY REVIEWS! But really, that is just motivation to see how many of my readers are out there. I hope there are atleast 20 :

That will be all.

Much love,

Mia


	35. A reveal before a reveal

WARNING: OBJECTS IN MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR.

And by "OBJECTS", I mean "STORY".  
And by "MIRROR", I mean "CHAPTER".  
And by "CLOSER", I mean "SHORTER".  
And, so that we follow the rules of grammar, it should say "IS", "IT", and "APPEARS".

* * *

I fell asleep in my sadness. What else was there to do when you are stuck in a pitch black wardrobe with the evidence that could change the fact that the man you love is going to be sentenced to death because you let yourself get forced into a marriage with perhaps the most cruel man on earth because you thought that was a better deal than living with the 'family' who locked you in here in the first place? 

I fell asleep in rage too.

When I woke, I had no telling of what time it was. There was no such thing as day where I was. I prayed that day would never come to Jon either. Perhaps he too would be stuck in the night before his trial.

I screamed for help. I surely would not be thrown in prison when I had the evidence to prove the prince's innocence now that Malyda was not here to trap me again. Besides, as if prison could be any worse than this.

I screamed and pounded against the wardrobe until my throat itched and my hands grew sore. No one came. I fell silent.

"Hello?" I heard a sweet, familiar voice.

"In the bedroom!" I called, "Help! I'm trapped!" I listened to the hurried patter of footsteps. "In the wardrobe!" I exclaimed. I heard the steps come quickly towards me and then patter around in confusion. "Gratanon has the key, but I was able to pick the lock with some-" I heard the clang of metal smashing against metal. I shrunk back and held my ears. I heard the collision twice more before I heard the clang of metal falling to the floor. The doors of the wardrobe swung open and I my eyes had to adjust to the light illuminating a familiar face.

I leapt forward into Zou Zou's arms. In one of her hands, she held a candle holder she must have used to break the lock that rested dead at my feet. Directly behind her, holding the candles that lit up this dark room, stood a pair of much missed people. I stepped out of Zou Zou's arms and flew into the open ones of Dana and Dan.

"What happened?" exclaimed all three of the familiar faces.

"I could ask the same of all of you. But first," I announced with fluttering worry and anticipation,"we save Jon." I dove away from my nodding saviors back into the depths of the wardrobe and grabbed the contents. Zou Zou's eyes settled briefly on the canvass before the four of us hurried out of the room into the hall. Not a word was spoken until we reached a restless carriage that awaited against an orange sunset. Zou Zou was the first to break the silence.

"So you know."

"So _you_ know?" I replied a little hotly. Zou Zou only nodded. "For how long?"

"Since before I met you." I tried to push back the sting of betrayal. It was difficult. Biting my lip, I looked to Dana and Dan sympathetic looks. So she had told them too and still they didn't feel it right to tell me perhaps the most important piece to this puzzle.

"When were you planning on telling me that I was a princess?"

* * *

A/N: So sorry, haven't checked my mail for a while and then all of a sudden... 20th review!... 2 days ago. Not to mention that this is one of my shortest chapters. But I will make it up with something not done in far too long. I will give you round trip tickets too... REVIEW RESPONSE LAND. 

...well, maybe not round-trip. I'm not loaded you know. ;D

Here we go!

The setting:

We head to Paris this time. The Eiffel Tower has been rented out for this event for glorious readers. However, the food is tricky to catch, as it sits in an elevator which loves to randomly jump from floor to floor. However, for the lucky few who manage to catch it, piles of indian cuisine line the buffet table within. Mango lasses. Nan(of course). Goat. Spicy chicken. Mango ice cream. Mountains of rice. Sizzling vegetables. Rice pudding. All the delectable flavors of India. It takes a great deal of talent for anyone to be able to run about the buffet to grab food while hurrying back every once and a while to click the "hold" button. Some people get trapped inside the elevator for the twelve minute trip down and back. But hey! Who really minds getting trapped with a load of Indian food! Eventually someone clever comes by with duct tape and tapes the "hold" button down, although sometimes people peal it off by "accident" and enjoy that twelve minute ride.

Mia pulls out a megaphone and announces the smashing of the cookie filled pinata! Everyone sets down their plates and runs from the elevator to get in line as Mia begins blindfolding everyone. She goes down the line with the stick in which to smash the pinata and uses this opportunity to thank her readers.

**Galasriniel:** Oh thank you so much for your faithfulness! I barely even know what to say. You've stuck by me so long! I hope you like Indian food! But here, take a whack at the cookies. Pretend it's Malyda's bootay!

_SMACK!_

**Scoutcraft Piratess:** HAHAHA! I adore evil people too! You have to give them credit! They sure are good at what they do! Thank you for all the support! Give it a good, evil bang! For the villains!

BOOM!

**guamgirl:** Pudding? Well, there _is _rice pudding at the buffet. But go ahead and help us with this pinata first. Thank you for the support! Think of pudding!

!BAM!

**FizzingWhizbeez:** HAHAHA! That was soooo hilarious! Do not worry, I completely credit that review to you! One of the funniest I have ever recieved! hahahahahahaha! hahaha... pinata... hit... do it you... hahaha... funny one...

_bang_

_unknown:_ hello unknown. Wait... I'm not supposed to know you! shifty eyes. I'lll keep your secret. Here.

**Unknown sound!**

**Indiglo:** That is rather eery. Perhaps I got a subconscious thought, "oh no, Indiglo is thinking about my story! Best update!"! For your telepathic messaging skills, you get to whack the pinata!

BIG SOUND!

_Tami:_ New reviewers rule! Glad to hear from ya! Here, hit the pinata!

Elephant squeal!

**hazeleyedbeauty:** aw! I got a cookie! Thankyou! Here, now _you_ can try to get some cookies!

PppSQWAUCK!

**Always Daydreaming:** I was scared myself that I wasn't going to update it anymore. But my sister pointed out that there is nothing worse than an unfinished fanfic... other than lots of other things. Like NOT BEING ABLE TO CRACK OPEN A PINATA FULL OF COOKIES! here, help us out!

Ping! ... like a triangle... Ping!

_me:_ me? Oh! Not ME me? Like you me! How confusing. I love it! I'm rushing to any kind of ever after I have in store, whether it is happily, despairingly, or... comfortably ever after. But I am hurrying! Rest assured! And I hope you are still alive! But of course you are! You've made it to the party! Now smack that pinata as if it was the Grim Reaper!

_**MOO!**_

**laurashrub:** I'm sorry I lost the personal touch. But hey! I brought it back! Thank you so much for standing by my writing for so long! You've always been there! Thank you!

Clang!

**Eclipsa: **What can I say to such a simply sweet review other than: Here, hit the pinata.

pop... ssssss (champagne?)

**Peeka-chan:** No need to apologize! It's great support just to know I have readers like yourself out there. Thank you. Now smack that pinata!

Lightning crack!

_Cadwyn:_ well look at that, I am updating now... though not the same now as you wanted... but a now none the less.

!BLAST OFF!

**panemonium: **My constant companion! Thankyou so much for the support! Oh! And I brought you a special treat! You'll get it after you hit the pinata (I have a suspicion you hitting the pinata will sound like what I am giving you).

SOUND OF CADBURY CREAM EGGS... WHATEVER THAT MAY BE... SQUISH?

**andreaatf**: I am glad it is unpredictable. I've always enjoyed unpredictable myself. Ha! Like I would care about spelling or grammar mistakes! I make them all the time! I struggle with english myself, and I am supposed to speak it! Well... what do you expect from a girl born in New Mexico with an english mom and a french dad? Then we moved to New Zealand... Confused child I am. Smack that pinata in the name of "pfft! English! Whatever!".

SDKGHasds:OIEA! (hows that for good english?)

**SmileyFacePerson:** NONONO! NOT HORRIBLE AT ALL! LOOK AT ME! I FORGET TO UPDATE! wardrobes of intrigue... lol. Funny you. Haha! Love your theory! It's... very hopeful. Lol. Here's a pinata stick for your hopes.

_SLAM OF A WARDROBE OF INTRIGUE!_

_CookieMonster:_ Well here it is! Thank you for the review! Here's a chance to whack the pinata! voici le... stick (batton... whatever)!

SACRE BLEU!(Ah! The sound of an angry french man)

_sun:_ I love sun! Fancy that! Thankyou so much for having such a lovely name for such a supporting review! Take a smack at the pinata!

_the_ sound _of_ sunshine (It burns! I LOVE it!)

**dragonfangjade:** Oh my! I must question if you had sanity in the first place! How I love crazy people! Thankyou so much for the support! Now, for your sanity: break that pinata to pieces!

**_Muahahahahahahaha!_**

_killjoy:_ Ha! I love summaries! There is so much opportunity in them, no? Now. One who has a deaththreat within their name. Pretend that "Joy" is the pinata and take a hit!

_The sound of a tree falling in the forest with no one there to hear it... but is that a sound? MYSTERY!_

Still not broken? Well then. Everyone take off your blindfolds and we are gonna stare this puppy down!

Everyone stares at the pinata that is shaped like a book. The gazes are so intense one can almost hear it. But wait... we can! It sounds like a...

CRACK!

COOKIES SPILL EVERYWHERE! PEOPLE RUN EVERYWHERE! THE CHAOS IS PHENOMENAL... AND DELICIOUS!

To the first chapter reviewers (for when you get here):

Latecomers are always welcome. Help yourselves to the food!

**Queen Tabitha Tall:** I hope you are enjoying it still! It always makes me incredibly happy to receive new readers, especially ones with such cool usernames!

**stagflower13:** Oh! All the love is making me woozy! Hope you are still loving it!

Well, that's all folks. Sorry for the short chapter. But I promise... in 3 weeks from today I will have the next chapter which will be OBSCENELY LONG! And then after that... if everything is planned correctly, the very last chapter will be posted! And then THE END! Little scary, huh? Maybe just for me. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!

See you in 3 weeks,

Mia


	36. Truth

The pause was great, but not long. The sharp air tasted stale and bitter the way it does after someone has gotten slapped. To my dismay, it was Zou Zou's hanging head that appeared to have been hit rather than my firm and angry one.

"I'm sorry you found out this way," Zou Zou whispered, raising her eyes, "I was certain it had to be you, but I didn't want to tell you until there was thorough proof." At that moment, she pulled out a piece of paper. I took it into my hands. The page was dotted with charred spots and the edges were black and frayed, but the writing was clear and legible.

"**This certificate marks the birth of Isabella Lareina Solusend, daughter of His Majesty, King Regamort Elroy Solusend, and Her Majesty, Queen Audra Lareina Solusend on this day...**"

I stared at the paper that confirmed the suspicions that had come from what I had also held in my hands. I held up the canvass and felt as though I was truly looking into the green eyes of the Queen no one had seen for over twenty years, of the mother I had never known of until now. Grief and betrayal tangled through my stomach.

"How?" I asked.

"But the evidence. Shouldn't we compile and plan?" Dan spoke. Dana stopped took his hand and looked into his eyes with a sad smile.

"We have evidence and no doubt Elora does too." She looked to me. I nodded lightly. "She's waited twenty years to know this. I think it is time we tell her."

Three pairs of eyes fell on me. And I, holding the canvass tightly to my chest, braced myself for the story of my life that I had never known.

"There has never once been a time in the two hundred years of the Solusend family reign that a son has not been born to take the thrown. At least, this is what everyone has thought. Your birth was the end of this tradition..." Dana began telling me.

Three voices twined together telling me the complexities that my birth brought. Though each new different pieces, not one ever interrupted or strayed the order of the tale. It came to my ears as easily as a story rehearsed by the dozens. And throughout this, I did not speak myself nor flinch a speck. I listened as intently as a child would their bedtime fairy tale.

My birth was a great disappointment to the king and most likely to the queen, for she died straight after. The king, my father, burned the records and had me switched with the male infant, Jon of course, of another maid before word got out of the child's sex. I was given to the queen's waiting gentlewoman with instructions to do whatever she wished with the babe and then to flee the area. Though no one is quite sure what happened, Zou Zou, who had been servicing the gentlewoman on her sick bed, was told the basics of the story and my whereabouts upon the ladies death bed. She had found the queen's shoes, the ones she had given to me on my birthday and the ones Sir Gratanon had forbade me to wear, set by the fireplace as the gentlewoman said all evidence would be and, after finding nothing else, set off immediately to find me, leaving her family behind.

It was here I had my one flash of a question, "Your family said nothing? They just let you go?"

Zou Zou smiled, "It is a business of ours to aid the suppressed females of the titled families. I do not suppose you have heard of the Female Royal Sanctuary? Though I think it was more popularly referred to as the F.Ry.S., or Fairies." She continued after seeing me shake my head. "Well, it is top secret. But I'm sure you can now understand why I left so freely." I nodded at this and waited for the story to continue. "So I came for you, with nothing more than a pair of shoes, instructions of your whereabouts, and then, after seeing you, a very strong suspicion. I finally understood where the full evidence was when these inconvenient jail charges were thrown at me. But Dana and Dan helped me escape and I was able to find this birth certificate as well as a recounting of the situation from our witness hidden underneath the stone of the fireplace where the shoes had sat."

"Meanwhile, " Dan followed up, "Dana and I were able to find the bank statements that showed who actually paid for the king's funeral."

"And the next day," Dana added in smoothly, "It was today."

"And you were nowhere near the courthouse," Zou Zou put in, "So we rushed to get you and found you in that wardrobe with the very truth I should have told you about."

I looked down at the canvass of my mother. What a weird feeling it was to know my family, and yet still not have them. The king knew. My father knew. He must have known. I suppose that was why he was so bitter to me. I'm sure that is why Sir Gratanon made him believe that I was eighteen now instead the twenty. The king was slightly softer once the math didn't add up correctly.

All the evidence was right in front of me. All those stares and whispers. All that aggression from the king, as well as that rare kindness that would take me by surprise. All those terms I had to keep. It was all because of the queen's child that had been left on a doorstep in the cold rain twenty years ago.

I traced those green eyes on the canvass and that frizzy mass of blonde hair that I knew so well. I wondered if she had trouble with it too. I looked at the shoes that sat by my side, and slid them on. A little tight, but a close fit. I wondered if she had trouble dancing like me.

Finally, I snapped out of my trance. I looked back up to the three sets of eyes holding worry and sympathy. They were my family.

"We should get our facts together," I sad shortly, "We will be arriving shortly." Without waiting for any response, I began pulling out the papers from the canvass and sorting through them with determination setting aside the ones of far less importance and holding on to those that would do quite enough for the case.

Amongst the chattering on what to tell, I found the letter I had seen before the doors had been slammed on me in the wardrobe.

"To my daughter" it read simply. Withdrawing casually from the important conversation, I opened the letter.

"Dear Isabella," it read.

"If you shall ever learn the truth of your birth. I must apologize fully. It was my decision that night and though I know it was an act of grief, anger, and regret, I do not regret it.

"Your mother was a beautiful woman. A strong one. A tempered one. But mostly, a distant one. She was a good ruler. A determined one. She kept herself separate from everything in order to serve in her role. Even in death was she silent and regal. I barely new her, yet I think of her always.

"I was infuriated that she would leave me here without a son. And so I demanded from the few who knew to fix the problem on pain of death. I may have killed them too I was so angry. The problem was solved. I had a son. And you no longer existed to me.

"Jonaldo has been raised to be king. He has a rare passion to serve the people, a danger and a virtue. I believe he will do well as king.

"Step away from the crown. Though I ask forgiveness, I also plead reason and ask you to drop any pursuits upon this poor excuse for a family. Things are irreversible. This is the way of rulers."

It was signed, "Your King".

He was absolutely right. Perhaps not in his actions, but even in those he had some reason and sense of duty. However, one thing remained certain.

"We won't reveal my birth right," I announced firmly. The shuffles and whispers ceased and three sets of eyes rested on me.

"Excuse me?" Zou Zou said, almost offended.

"We have enough to set the prince free and prove Gratanon guilty without revealing the motive. We'll leave out the fact that I am... what I am."

"Why?" Zou Zou exclaimed.

"Because... I am not royalty." I looked down and began stuffing away unnecessary papers. I pondered at a hush I heard and looked back to my companions. Zou Zou looked frustrated, but silent. Dana and Dan looked perplexed, but still understanding and supportive. I quickly collected and organized the wanted papers as we approached the crowd that pooled out of the town square.

"I think we're ready," I announced, my gut churning from anticipation. All I recieved were three nervous nods.

The carriage pushed slowly further into the crowd until it could go no further. Dan swiftly tipped the coachman before we flung ourselves upon the crowd.

_I'm on my way,_ I said, in silent thought, to the prince.

I arrived at the front of the crowd, dazed and not knowing quite how I had arrived there.

Through the dim light of coming night, I wearily spotted an unfriendly face.

* * *

A/N: Yeah... I'm not dead. thanks for the patience. i hope this chapter cleared up the questions. The real action starts next.


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